MUHAMMAD RAMZAAN S/O AKHBAR v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

[2023] SGHC 9 High Court (General Division) 12 January 2023 HC/MA 9144/2022/01

6 cases cited Cited by 2 cases

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	12 January 2023
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 12 January 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Date of commencement

Practice Areas

Criminal Procedure and Sentencing

Judges (1)

Vincent Hoong Delivered

Counsel (3)

Attorney-General's Chambers Firm Quek Lu Yi Counsel for the respondent Wuan Kin Lek Nicholas Counsel for the respondent

Parties (2)

Public Prosecutor Respondent

Muhammad Ramzaan s/o Akhbar Appellant

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.

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.