A Malaysian court has denied a judge his wish of administering ten of his finest to the posterior of a convicted robber.
Sessions Court Judge Zainal Abidin Kamarudin sentenced a 20-year-old Muhammad Syafiq Abdul Wahab to ten strokes of the cane, and then shocked many when he expressed his desire to personally carry out the punishment.
In sentencing, Kamarudin also suggested that Wahab’s parents watch the caning, so that Wahab could ‘feel some pain as you have caused pain to the victim.’
After complaints from lawyers, the High Court ruled that Zainal should not be able to personally cane offenders, and it reduced the sentence from ten strokes of the cane to 200 hours of community service.
For those who are not familiar with what caning entails in Malaysia and Singapore, the punishment is carried out by specially trained prison officials who invariably have a background in the martial arts. The cane, which is four feet long and half an inch thick is made from rattan, known for its natural hardness. It is soaked overnight in salt water prior to administering it to the bare buttocks of prisoners. Thick pads protect the spine and genitals of the prisoners, in case the official misses the target, all the more likely considering that the caner runs and jumps into each stroke.
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