MUHAMMAD RAMZAAN S/O AKHBAR v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
Key facts
| Court | High Court (General Division) |
|---|---|
| Decided | |
| Judge | Vincent Hoong |
| Charges / claim | Criminal Procedure and Sentencing |
| Counsel | Attorney-General's Chambers, Quek Lu Yi, Wuan Kin Lek Nicholas |
Source: [2023] SGHC 9, High Court (General Division), decided — eLitigation. Updated .
Catchwords
Practice Areas
Judges (1)
Counsel (3)
Case Significance
Muhammad Ramzaan s/o Akhbar v Public Prosecutor [2023] SGHC 9 was a Magistrate's Appeal (No 9144 of 2022) decided in the General Division of the High Court by Vincent Hoong J, who delivered the judgment of the court ex tempore on 12 January 2023. On 6 January 2020 the appellant was convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment under the Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap 185, 2008 Rev Ed), and was ordered to surrender on 31 January 2020, but he absconded from bail. From January 2020 to January 2021 he committed a series of drug and traffic offences, ceasing when arrested on 26 January 2021, on which day he began serving the first conviction. On 25 July 2022 he pleaded guilty to 14 charges (the second conviction), including one charge under s 8(b)(ii) punishable under s 33A(1) of the MDA, one under s 8(a) punishable under s 33(1), seven under s 63(4) of the Road Traffic Act, and one under s 65(1)(b). The catchwords concern the date of commencement of sentence.
[2023] SGHC 9 explained
MUHAMMAD RAMZAAN S/O AKHBAR v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR ([2023] SGHC 9) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 12 January 2023. It is categorised under Criminal Procedure and Sentencing. Within this corpus it has since been cited by 2 other reported Singapore judgments, a measure of how often later decisions have referred to it. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.
What is [2023] SGHC 9 about?
MUHAMMAD RAMZAAN S/O AKHBAR v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR ([2023] SGHC 9) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2023. Its published catchwords are “Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Date of commencement”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.
Which legislation does [2023] SGHC 9 consider?
The judgment refers to Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68), Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap 185), and Road Traffic Act (Cap 276). The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.
How influential is [2023] SGHC 9?
Within this corpus, [2023] SGHC 9 has been cited by 2 later reported Singapore judgments. That count reflects references from other decisions held in this corpus only and is a conservative lower bound on how often the case has actually been cited.
Summary
The appellant, who had absconded from bail and committed a series of drug and traffic offences before his arrest, appealed against the sentence imposed after he pleaded guilty to 14 charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act and the Road Traffic Act. The issue was whether his disqualification order should commence from conviction or from his release from prison. The High Court dismissed the appeal, holding the District Judge had not erred in ordering the disqualification to run from release in order to preserve its deterrent effect.
What issue did Muhammad Ramzaan s/o Akhbar v Public Prosecutor [2023] SGHC 9 concern?
Decided ex tempore by Vincent Hoong J on 12 January 2023, this Magistrate's Appeal concerned the date of commencement of sentence, following the appellant's convictions relating to drug and traffic offences committed between January 2020 and January 2021 after he absconded from bail.
What was the sequence of convictions in the Muhammad Ramzaan case ([2023] SGHC 9)?
On 6 January 2020 the appellant was sentenced to three years' imprisonment under the Misuse of Drugs Act but absconded rather than surrendering on 31 January 2020. Arrested on 26 January 2021, he later pleaded guilty on 25 July 2022 to 14 further charges under the MDA and Road Traffic Act.
Statutes Cited
Cases Cited (6)
Related cases
Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.
Referenced in
Statutes interpreted in this judgment
Judgment
Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.
Read on eLitigationSource: eLitigation ([2023] SGHC 9)