PUTRAJAYA: A former chairman of a religious group in Kota Baru, Kelantan, has lost his appeal to set aside his conviction for living on the earnings of four Thai prostitutes but succeeded in reducing his eight-year jail sentence to five.
The panel dismissed Chan's appeal against his conviction but granted his appeal to lower the jail and whipping sentence. He, however, said the sentence meted out by the Session Court on Chan was excessive and the appellate court panel decided to reduce it to five years' jail and imposed two strokes of the cane instead of four.
The charge under Section 372A of the Penal Code carries penalties of up to 15 years' imprisonment, whipping and a fine upon conviction.According to the prosecution's case, a police team raiding the apartment found Chan and one Thai woman at a table in the living room.