Photo: Sinar Harian
KUALA LUMPUR: A former fast food restaurant worker was sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison by the Sessions Court for stealing a car and attempting to murder the vehicle's co-owner in Putrajaya in October.
According to Sinar Harian, before sentencing Muhammad Wan Azhar Azman, 20, Judge Izralizam Sanusi said: "Be a useful person, repent, and lead a good life after serving your prison sentence, and do not repeat the same mistakes."
He then sentenced Muhammad Wan Azhar to 10 years in prison on the charge of attempted murder and another four years for stealing a car.
The sentences are to run concurrently, starting from the date of arrest on Oct 24.
In meting out the sentences on Monday (Dec 1), the judge said Muhammad Wan Azhar's actions were extremely serious, involving an attempted murder by driving dangerously, which had resulted in the victim suffering severe injuries.
He said that had the victim died, the accused could have been charged with murder.
"The court considers this offence seriously to send a message to the public that such acts cannot be lightly tolerated.
"Public interest must take precedence over the interests of the accused," said Izralizam.
On Nov 1, Muhammad Wan Azhar had pleaded guilty to two charges: stealing a rented car and attempting to murder the vehicle owner's business partner.
According to the first charge, Muhammad Wan Azhar was accused of stealing a car belonging to D Joshua Jeyaseelan, 30, at a traffic light in Lebuh Perdana Timur, Presint 15, Putrajaya, between 3.40pm and 4pm on Oct 23.
The charge was made under Section 379A of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of one to seven years in prison and a fine upon conviction.
For the second charge, he was accused of driving the vehicle dangerously, causing the car owner’s business partner, Mohamed Jalil Iskandar, 28, to cling onto the car's bonnet before being thrown off and suffering severe injuries.
According to the facts of the case, the incident occurred after Joshua had rented out his car to Muhammad Wan Azhar's girlfriend for a day.
However, when the rental ended, Joshua tried to contact the woman but was unsuccessful and later found the car at the diplomatic precinct in Putrajaya.
Joshua and his friend, Mohamed Jalil, then went to the location and discovered that the car was fitted with a different registration number.
Mohamed Jalil then asked the accused to stop the car, but instead, he reversed the vehicle and attempted to hit the victim, forcing him to jump onto the bonnet.
The victim had to undergo treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) and faced a prolonged recovery process.
During mitigation, the accused, who was not represented by a lawyer, requested a lighter sentence from the date of his arrest, citing his young age and responsibilities.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Aisyah Mohamed Zanyuin proposed a maximum 20-year prison sentence, emphasising that the accused’s actions had caused the victim to experience long-term mobility issues.
