KUALA LUMPUR: A 70-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in jail by the Sessions Court here today for self-administration of the dangerous drug Morphine.
Judge Izralizam Sanusi meted out the sentence on Kartajaya Aziz, 60, after finding the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt at the end of the defence case.
“After examining the testimony of the prosecution and defence witnesses, the court found the accused guilty and convicted him of an offence under Section 39C (1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,“ he said and ordered Kartajaya to serve the prison sentence from the date of arrest which was April 24 last year.
According to the charge, Kartajaya was charged with self-administration of the drug into his body in the toilet of the Office of the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of the Dang Wangi police headquarters at 2.45 pm on April 24 last year.
The charge was framed under Section 39C (1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which provides imprisonment for up to seven years and not more than three strokes of the cane upon conviction.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Shakila Mohd Shariff requested the court to impose the maximum prison sentence and whipping as a lesson to the accused and for the public interest.
“A severe punishment will serve as a lesson not only to the accused but also to the community. At age 60, the accused is old but still involved with drugs. At that age, he should be able to distinguish between good and bad,” she said.
During mitigation, lawyer Ravin Jay, representing Kartajaya, asked the court to consider his client’s age.
