KUALA LUMPUR – A cendol seller was sentenced to 16 years in prison by the high court here yesterday after being found guilty of nine charges, including possessing and distributing items related to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group four years ago.
Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin meted out the sentence against Nahzatulazran A. Rahman, 42, after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt in the case.
The court ordered Nahzatulazran to serve the jail term from his date of arrest on September 10, 2017.
For each of the three counts of supporting IS, Nahzatulazran was sentenced to 10 years’ jail, to be served concurrently, while for two counts of possessing IS-related items, the court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment, also to be served concurrently.
Meanwhile, on each of the four counts of distributing terrorist-related items, the court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment to be served concurrently.
However, the court ruled that the sentences for the three groups of charges should be carried out separately, meaning the accused would have to spend a total of 16 years in jail.
Nahzatulazran was accused of supporting and promoting IS by possessing and distributing items such as flags with inscriptions, as well as photos and videos of the group.
All the offences were committed at several locations, including a village area in Melaka Tengah and a house in Kepong here, from January to September 2017.
Deputy public prosecutors Rohaiza Abd Rahman and Mohd Farhan Aliff Ahmad urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused.
“The prosecution also requests for a longer jail term to allow the accused to undergo rehabilitation in prison, as he had seemed very inclined to the ideology of the terrorist group, so much so a witness even stated that the accused had invited him to go for jihad in Marawi, Philippines,” he said.
However, lawyer Usha Kulasegaran from the National Legal Aid Foundation requested a lighter sentence for her client on grounds that he had a wife and children to care for, and had repented for his actions.
A total of 16 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses, including the accused, were called during the trial that began in February last year. – Bernama, February 6, 2021
