MUAR: Two men involved in an armed robbery with a machete and crowbar in Taman Sri Treh last month, which went viral on social media, were brought before the Sessions and magistrate's Courts here today.
Ku Kim Cheong, 35, and Chu Ching Hwai, 35, each faced three charges, including causing injury and testing positive for drugs.
They pleaded guilty after the charges were presented before Judge Sayani Mohd Nor.
According to the charges, both men were alleged to have committed armed robbery using a machete and crowbar on Jalan Treh 13, Taman Sri Treh 1, here, at 5.20pm on Dec 17.
They were charged under Section 395 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 397 of the same code.
The penalty for Section 395 is imprisonment for up to 20 years and caning, while Section 397 carries additional caning and any other penalties under relevant sections of the code.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Danial Munir, while the accused were unrepresented.
In the same court, both men also pleaded guilty under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read with Section 39C(1)(b) of the same Act, for testing positive for drugs.
Both accused, with Ku having two prior convictions in 2011 and 2015, and Chu in 2012 and 2021, were sentenced to five years in prison and one stroke of the case each, followed by two years of police supervision after serving their sentence.
Meanwhile, in the magistrate's Court, both men also pleaded guilty under Section 324 of the Penal Code for injuring a 33-year-old homeowner at 5.10pm on the same date and location.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Aqiilan Ahmad Rofaei requested for the case to be transferred to the Sessions Court for further proceedings in line with Section 167, read together with Section 177 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The court granted the prosecution's request and set the sentencing for Jan 24, while denying bail for both accused.
In last month's incident, a father and son were injured after they were struck by a machete wielded by the accused during the robbery.
The incident was captured on CCTV, and the vehicle used in the robbery was later found abandoned in Jasin, Melaka.
However, both suspects were arrested at on Dec 2 in a car by the roadside near Sungkai, Perak, following information and surveillance by the police.