KUALA LUMPUR: A Thai man convicted of drug possession has escaped caning after the prosecution failed to prove he was under 50.

Under the law, offenders aged 50 and above are exempted from corporal punishment.

George Town High Court judge Azlan Sulaiman also questioned the authorities for subjecting Mahyudin Ismail to medical examinations to determine his age without first informing his lawyer.

The judge said the prosecution failed to establish Mahyudin's actual age as he had no identification documents, despite relying on a forensic dental examination that estimated his age at 40.