Shah alam: A salesman has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment and two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court after admitting to causing injuries to a motorcyclist on the Federal Highway last month. Judge 'Ainul Bashiirah Dona Don Biyajid delivered the sentence to Azmi Jantan, 42, and decreed that the jail term would begin from his arrest date on June 11.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azmi was charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt using a meat cleaver, a weapon deemed capable of causing death, at KM14.6 of the motorcycle lane on the Federal Highway. The incident occurred near Section 13 at approximately 8:19 am on June 11. The charge, framed under Section 326 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, and may include a fine or whipping upon conviction.

The case facts reveal that the victim, an executive at a postal and courier services company, was en route to Kuala Lumpur when he paused at the motorcycle lane. It was then that Azmi approached and attacked him with the cleaver, inflicting serious injuries, including fractures to the shoulder, left arm, fingers, and wrist, along with head and left arm injuries.

Earlier, Azmi, unrepresented in court, requested a lighter sentence. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Amir Saifullah Mohammad Sallehuddin advocated for a harsher penalty, citing the severity of the victim's injuries. He stressed that the use of a meat cleaver was fortunate not to result in the victim's death. Saifullah highlighted the need for a deterrent sentence, emphasizing the incident's origin from a trivial honking dispute on the highway and its potential to instill fear among road users.