Lorry driver charged with murder and rape of assistant registrar

SIBU: A 42-year-old lorry driver was handed two charges of murder and rape at the Sessions Court on Tuesday (Aug 21) for the death of an assistant registrar of the National Registration Department.

The accused, Philip Uja, was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder and Section 376 (4) of the same code with raping the woman.

No plea was recorded. 

He faces the death sentence if found guilty of murder.

However, for the rape charge, he could also be liable to a jail sentence of 15 years but not more than 30 years, plus whipping of not more than 10 strokes of the rotan.

Clad in a white T-shirt and unrepresented, Phillip pleaded not guilty before Justice Caroline Bee Majanil.

According to the facts of the case, the accused was said to have raped the victim and caused her death between 8pm on Aug 1 and 2.30pm on Aug 2 at an unnumbered room of a house in Jalan Tiong Hua.

Nurnia Azalea Priscilla Edward's semi-nude body, was found  by her bedside with her hands and legs tied behind her back by her colleagues at 2.30pm on Aug 2 at her rented house on Jalan Tiong Hua.

They had gone to the house to look for her on the request of her husband as his calls had gone unanswered.

A post-mortem revealed that she died from a head injury due to blunt force trauma.

Her skull, which was fractured, was believed to have been hit by a blunt object, and there were also injuries on her face or neck.

The deceased and her husband had been married for a year and had no children. Justice Caroline fixed Oct 2 for further mention of the case after Deputy Public prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Aariffin Musa, requested a lengthy adjournment as he said the prosecution was waiting for the chemistry and autopsy reports.