punish as a deterrent to others 杀一儆百

杀一儆百，汉语成语，字面意思是“处死一个人，借以警戒许多人（execute one as a warning to a hundred）”，比喻用惩罚一个人的办法来警告别的人。可以翻译为“punish as a deterrent to others”。

例句：

对他的惩罚但愿能起到杀一儆百的作用。

Hopefully his punishment will act as a deterrent to others.