Penang man gets 11 months' jail for deliberately causing accidents, extorting victims

Source: Malay Mail

GEORGE TOWN, March 14 -- The Magistrates' Court here today meted out an 11-month prison sentence to an unemployed man who gained notoriety on social media for deliberately causing accidents and then extorting compensation from the vehicle owners last year.

Ashroff Abdul Shukoor, 41, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to two charges read before Magistrate Siti Nurul Suhaila Baharin.

According to the first charge, he intentionally coerced and instilled fear in a woman, threatening that a disaster would befall her if she did not pay him RM50 in cash.

The second charge was for a similar offence, but this time demanding RM30 in cash from another woman.

He committed both offences at Jalan Tembaga, Jelutong, on November 15 and 30 last year.

The accused was charged under Section 384 of the Penal Code, which is punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine, whipping, or any combination thereof, upon conviction.

The magistrate sentenced him to 11 months' imprisonment for the first charge and 10 months for the second charge, to run concurrently from his date of arrest on March 10 last year.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nurul Atikah Asharaf Ali urged the court to impose a stiff sentence as the accused's crime was premeditated.

However, the accused appealed for a minimum punishment as he was unemployed and had to support elderly parents.

Previously, the man's images and videos went viral on social media after he was seen deliberately causing accidents and demanding money as compensation. -- Bernama