Religious teacher to hang

Facing the gallows: Hanif being brought out of court by police officers after the sentence. — Bernama

ALOR SETAR: A religious teacher, who was earlier sentenced to 18 years in jail for killing a seven-year-old boy under his charge, will now be hanged. Hanif Mohd Ali, 31, was found guilty by the High Court here of killing Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee in the warden’s office at Asrama Putra, Sekolah Rendah Islam Al-Furqan, in Arau between 6pm and midnight on March 31, 2011.

Hanif – who was once described as a “caring person” by the boy’s adoptive mother – was originally sentenced to jail in March 2012 after pleading guilty to an amended charge under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code for causing the death.