Staff reporter

Gelephu drungkhag court sentenced a 26-year-old man from Serzhong in Gelephu for assaulting a taxi driver and snatching a sickle from a woman and threatening to assault her in September last year.

Sangay Yang Dorji was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for assaulting a taxi driver on September 11 and threatening to assault the woman in Dekiling who was sharpening her sickle.

According to the judgment, the defendant reserved the taxi to go to Jigmeling from Gelephu town but attacked the driver with a knife after they reached Samtenling.

The driver, who saw the defendant attacking him in the mirror, escaped with some minor injuries on the chin. The defendant then drove off the taxi and toppled if on the road.

Sangay Yang Dorji was given three years and six months imprisonment for robbery. He was found guilty of violating section 245 of the Penal Code of Bhutan, which states, “A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of robbery, if in the course of committing a larceny, the defendant uses or threatens to use force against another person.”

The court ordered him to pay a month’s wage rate, which amounts to Nu 3,750 to the taxi driver as compensation for the assault and Nu 58,500 for keeping the taxi grounded while repairing. The defendant’s father repaired the taxi.

Sangay Yang Dorji was also given another two months imprisonment for displaying weapon to the woman in Dekiling and threatening to assault her.

He was found guilty of violating section 486 of the Penal Code, which states, “A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of display of a weapon, if the defendant purposely threatens or intimidates another person by displaying a weapon.”

The amended Penal Code grades the offence a misdemeanour.

The judgment stated that although he cannot pay thrimthue in lieu of the prison term for the three years and six months imprisonment, he could pay thrimthue for the two months prison term.