PUTRAJAYA: Two former real estate agents were sentenced to 30 years in jail by the Court of Appeal here today for abducting a businesswoman in 2015 for RM2 million ransom.
This follows the decision by the three-man bench comprising Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Datuk S.M. Komathy Suppiah, in dismissing Lew Ngee Chin and Chin Yoon Tack @ Chin Yoon Tock's appeals against their conviction for the offence.
The court, however, set aside the life imprisonment term imposed by the High Court on the duo and substituted it with 30 years' jail.
Lew was spared the cane as he turned 50 in August last year while Chin, 47, was ordered by the court to be whipped twice.
Meanwhile, the court allowed the appeal brought by the unemployed third appellant Telaha Sanchis, 42, to set aside his conviction and life imprisonment.
In delivering the court's decision on Lew and Chin's appeal against their conviction, Vazeer said there was overwhelming evidence to establish a case beyond reasonable doubt against Lew and Chin.
He said the victim had positively identified the duo in a car which was used to abduct her and in the shophouse where she was held captive.
The three men were sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court on March 9, 2020 after they were found guilty of abducting and wrongfully confining Lim Hoe, who was 63 at the time, with intention to seek RM2 million as ransom at Wei Ben Wellness & Health Care Sdn Bhd in Taman Sea, Kelana Jaya, Selangor, about 6pm on Nov 10, 2015.
According to the facts of the case, the victim was abducted and was confined in the shophouse in Taman Bukit Anggerik, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur for seven days before being released near the Sentul LRT station on Nov 16, 2015, after the money was left at a spot along the south bound lane of the New Klang Valley Expressway.
Police then arrested the three men and recovered RM700,000.
Lawyers Goh Kim Lian, K. Viknesvaran and N. Ratnavathy represented Lew, Chin and Telaha, respectively. — Bernama