an odd-job worker escaped the gallows

an odd-job worker escaped the gallows, when the Federal Court in Putrajaya, Malaysia, set aside his conviction and death sentence for trafficking in 1,942 grammes of cannabis (ganja). Instead, a five-man bench chaired by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum sentenced Khalil Anuar Sukirman to 20 years' jail and ordered he be given 10 strokes of the rotan after reducing the charge to drug possession. He said the jail term and whipping was the proper sentence to reflect the seriousness of the offence, taking into account public interest and the amount of drugs. He ordered Khalil Anuar, 28, to serve his jail sentence from the date of arrest on Oct 4, 2006. Earlier, Malanjum said, after assessing the totality of the evidence, the court found the conviction against the odd-job worker for drug trafficking could not be sustained.