Seven acquitted of gunning down property agent in Taman OUG

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has discharged and acquitted seven people over the murder of property agent Datin Renyce Wong last year.

Wong, a mother-of-five, was gunned down in Taman OUG, Old Klang Road while driving her children and maid to lunch at about 2.30pm on July 6, 2016 – the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Her daughter, who was in the front passenger seat, was also hit when the gunmen fired five bullets at her Toyota Vellfire, one piercing the then eight-year-old's intestines in nine places.

M. Pal Ganapathy, 27, S. Vijendran, 30, K. Sri Kanapathy, 35, Chen Yuen Ming, 42, Chin Kok Leong, 45, K. Sattiyarao, 30, and the lone woman Liew Lai Chen, 48, were acquitted from the charge without their defence being called after the court found that the prosecution had failed to prove prima facie in the case.

In his decision at the end of the prosecution's case, Justice Azman Abdullah said there was no common intention between Ganapathy and Vijendran as required under Section 34 of the Penal Code.

"From the CCTV footage, the licence plate of a motorcycle ridden by two men could not be distinguished as well as their looks as they wore full face helmets," he said.

Ganapathy and Vijendran were charged with Wong's murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code while the rest were charged with abetment of the alleged crime.

DPP Aznika Mohd Anas prosecuted.

The accused persons were represented by lawyers Vijey Esvaren, Loh Suk Hwa, Nur Hayati Omar, Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, Datuk N. Sivananthan, Low Huey Theng, Datin Freda Sabapathy, Datuk Simon Sabapathy and M. Raja.