Saturday September 15, 2012

Three months on, insurance agent still traumatised by robbery

KUALA LUMPUR: An insurance agent is still having nightmares and cannot sleep well after she was choked and robbed in June.

Law Suok Ung, 45, told Sessions Court judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah that she was still traumatised by the incident.

In an emotional voice, the mother of two said that after the incident she was fearful of meeting clients.

“I am scared to walk to my car. I am traumatised about going to work,” said Law in between sobs.

Law was in the witness box to give her victim impact statement (VIS) before the sentencing of P. Gopinath, who robbed her on June 29.

When Komathy asked her view on what possible sentence her attacker should receive, Law hid her face and with tears running down her cheek said “I don't have a view. If he gets a lesser sentence, he will take revenge on me. I am also very worried.”

Law was robbed as she was walking towards Sri Intan Kondo in Jalan Ipoh to meet a client.

She had parked her BMW along the road and as she was walking towards the condominium Gopinath, who was travelling in a van with four friends, jumped out of the vehicle, grabbed her by the neck and demanded that she hand over her handbag and car keys.

Her screams alerted passers-by who chased and apprehended Gopinath.

In mitigation, the 22-year-old security guard, read out a handwritten note where he sought apology for his conduct and begged for a lesser sentence.

In her judgment, Komathy said statistics show that youth crime had become prevalent.

The accused, she said, had acted so brazenly in broad daylight and the victim's VIS clearly showed how that experience had affected her life.

She sentenced Gopinath to 10 years' jail and ordered him to be given six strokes of the rotan for gang robbery.

News

Saturday September 15, 2012

Three months on, insurance agent still traumatised by robbery