BY Fadley Faisal

A local man’s appeal against the sentence for cheating was dismissed by the High Court on September 3. The High Court agreed with respondents that the appellant is a serial conman.

Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong also saw that the Magistrate’s Court sentence handed to Mohamad Sambari bin Haji Abu Bakar as “unimpeachable”.

Mohamad Sambari was sentenced to three years and four months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court in June 2021, following his guilty pleas towards three charges of misappropriation and cheating.

The sentencing court also ordered Mohamad Sambari to undergo police supervision after having served time.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Affyian Abdul Rahman brought the court’s attention to the Magistrate’s Court decision in reflecting the sentence by taking into account Mohamad Sambari’s criminal record.

The Chief Justice cited Mohamad Sambari’s 25 previous convictions for cheating.

“His life of crime began in 2004… The most recent conviction was in 2017… The appellant also has a drug consumption offence in 2015,” Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong said.

He reiterated that the appellant’s prior convictions demonstrate his propensity to cheat and that there is no other way to reach a fitting punishment than what has been handed to him.

The High Court also conceded with the Magistrate’s Court supervision order on Mohamad Sambari to reflect his “recidivism and the need to protect the public from a high-risk offender”.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin