GROUNDS OF JUDGMENT

THE CHARGE

The Accused faced the following charge:-

"Bahawa kamu pada 31 haribulan Julai 2002 jam lebih kurang 0500 petang di hadapan Post Pengawal Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jalan Sungai Dua, dalam Daerah Timur Laut, Dalam Negeri Pulau Pinang telah memiliki dadah berbahaya iaitu heroin seberat 6.07 gram, sedangkan kamu tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk memilikinya, dengan ini kamu telah melakukan satu kesalahan di bawah Seksyen 12(2) Akta Dadah Berbahaya 1952 dan dihukum di bawah Seksyen 39A(2) Akta yang sama ."

After calling for the defence the Learned Sessions Judge found the Accused guilty and sentenced him to 5 years in prison with 13 strokes of the rotan. Dissatisfied with the sentence the Public Prosecutor appealed. The Accused cross-appealed against both conviction and sentence. At the appeal, Mr. Karpal Singh for the Accused withdrew his cross-appeal against sentence. By consent I decided to hear Mr. Karpal's cross-appeal first against conviction.

FACTS

SP3 informed the Court that on 31.7.02 Inspector Rajaram led a party of police including himself on an operation to arrest a person trafficking in drugs in front of the guard post at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)