"I Want To Be Hanged, That's All" — Says Man Who Is Convicted Of Trafficking Meth
Ng Chan Keong was sentenced to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 27 Mar 2024, 12:39 PM
A man expressed his desire for the death penalty after he was convicted of trafficking 2.7kg of methamphetamine by the Ayer Keroh High Court yesterday, 26 March
During the proceedings yesterday, 26 March, 39-year-old Ng Chan Keong was found guilty of committing the crime on the emergency lane at KM215 of the North-South Expressway near Alor Gajah, Melaka, on 2 October 2018, reported Berita Harian.
When Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis asked Ng to express his final wishes after the conviction, he said, "I want to be hanged, that's all."
However, Anselm emphasised that it was within the court's discretion to determine the sentence, and adjourned the proceedings for five minutes.
When the proceedings resumed, Anselm sentenced Ng to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane.
The accused was charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and punished under Section 39B(2) of the same act, which carries the death penalty upon conviction
When delivering the verdict, Anselm stated that the defendant failed to raise reasonable doubt after the court considered all the evidence and arguments presented by the defence and prosecution.
The defence team argued that Ng was not aware of the presence of drugs in the trunk of the car that he was driving on the day he was stopped by the police while travelling from Genting Highlands to Johor Bahru.
"The defendant [Ng] stated that he went to Genting Highlands with his boss, known as Tan, who was also the second defence witness a day earlier, and stayed at a hotel there.
"The defendant claimed that Tan requested him to drive the car to Johor Bahru and hand over RM180,000 and SGD9,300 (about RM32,600) in cash to Tan's female friend.
"The defendant stated that he only drove the car and did not inspect it before being stopped by patrol police while on the road," Anslem said.
However, the High Court judge stated that Ng's attempt to speed away, refusal to open the trunk, and attempted bribery of the police indicated that he was aware of the presence of drugs in the car.
The court also found Tan to be an unreliable witness, reported Berita Harian.
Ng was convicted and sentenced yesterday after 15 witnesses were called to the trial, which began on 10 September 2020.
