Zoo Keeper jailed for 10 years for supporting IS

KUALA LUMPUR: A Zoo Keeper was jailed a total of 10 years for supporting the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group via the Telegram application and for possessing IS related paraphernalia.
In sentencing, High Court judge Datuk Indera Mohd Sofian Tan Sri Abd Razak said the guilty plea is not a must for an accused to be given privilege.
The judge sentenced Mohd Sharullizam Ramli, 31, to a ten-year jail term for supporting the IS.
The offence was committed at Batu 11, Gombak, between March 25, 2016 and June 29, 2016,
He was also sentenced to a 3-year jail term for having in his possession a flag, a headband and a car sticker with the IS logo.
The offence was committed at 1.20pm on July 19, 2016.
However, the accused will only serve a ten-year jail term, as the judge ordered for both sentences to run concurrently, from the date of his arrest, on July 19, 2016.
In mitigating for a lenient sentence, defence counsel N.Sivanesan said his client works at Zoo Negara and earns a salary of RM1,300.
He also told the court that Mohd Sharullizam's wife also works in Zoo Negara, and was warded in hospital for depression following his arrest.
He said the accused has a step-child aged 12-years-old and a two and half-year old child, adding that his wife was unable to support the family on her own with her meager income.
Sivanesan added that Mohd Sharullizam was only involved with the IS Telegram group for one and a half years, and was not an active member.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Noor Syazwani Mohamad Sobry said the accused has no previous conviction, but asked the court to consider the seriousness of the offence.
She said the sentence meted out by the court, should serve as a deterrent to the public not to commit such crimes, and asked the judge to take judicial notice over the increasing number of terrorism related cases in Malaysia.