Corpun file 26640 at www.corpun.com
Borneo Bulletin, Bandar Seri Begawan, 8 November 2017
Jail, caning for five Vietnamese gang robbers
By Fadley Faisal
THE High Court handed down jail sentences with whippings to five Vietnamese men yesterday for committing gang robbery and other related offences.
Ta Duc Hai, 22; Ta Duc Quyet, 38; Ta Duc Cuong, 38; and Nguyen Tam Quy, 25, who are all on visit passes, were sentenced to 13 years' jail with 12 lashes, while Phan Duc Loc, 33, who has been working as a construction worker in Brunei since 2010, was imprisoned for three years with two strokes of the cane.
Passing the sentence, Justice Pengiran Datin Hajah Rostaina binti Pengiran Haji Duraman noted that the defendants had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, but the aggravating factors precede the trivial matters in the case.
"In the many cases before, court has stressed it is in the public interest to protect the public and their property. A deterrent sentence must be imposed. Cases have indicated when fixing the sentence, the nature, circumstances and degree of deliberation must be taken into account," said the Justice.
According to DPP Dayangku Didi binti Pengiran Latiff's statement of facts of the case, all four defendants played major roles in the offences, while Phan Duc Loc acted as the driver.
The defendants had played part or major roles in the robbery at a food distribution company at Lambak Kanan Industrial Area during the wee hours of September 2, 2017 -- a crime which constitutes a gang robbery, wrongful restraint of a 50-year-old Indian employee of the said company and stealing $4,000.
Damages caused to the company have been estimated at $32,868.
In a separate incident on September 7, 2017, the defendants broke into a beverage manufacturing company's factory premises at Beribi Industrial Area and made away with $4,000, causing damages estimated at $6,669.
In a third incident, the defendants took $8,000 by breaking into a food distribution company at Industrial Junjongan on September 24, 2017, leaving behind damages amounting to $19,131.
Three of the defendants left Brunei through the Kuala Lurah Control Post on September 26, 2017 at 9am and reentered the country the same day at 5pm. In a fourth incident, the defendants tried to break into a company premises at Jalan Ikas Bandung on September 29, 2017.
Reports were lodged to the police on the incidents, which led to the defendants' arrests by the Special Investigations Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Royal Brunei Police Force on September 30, 2017.
