SEREMBAN: A 24-year-old man was ordered to be sent to the gallows after the High Court here found him guilty of the murder of a 28-year-old dental technologist.
Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan said when sentencing Abdul Malik Rosli on Thursday (Oct 27) that the defence had failed to create reasonable doubt at the end of its case.
The accused, who had just turned 20 when the crime was committed, was charged with murdering Mahussin Abdul Rahim at around 1.40am on Jan 19, 2018.
He committed the crime at a unit on the fourth floor of the Lukut health quarters in Port Dickson.
The accused was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
"After looking at all the evidence before the court, the court hereby sentences the accused to death by hanging," Judge Azizul said.
Earlier, defence counsel Datuk Haniff Hasan said the victim was a first-time offender and was remorseful for what he did.
"He only had a Form 5 education, comes from a poor family and didn't have a permanent job. In fact, none of his family members are present in court today as they just cannot afford to travel here," he said.
Ahmad Malik's family lives in Johor Baru.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Husni Fairos Ramly asked the court to impose a sentence commensurate with the crime.
"The accused has committed a murder and this is a very serious offence. After committing the crime, he did not even surrender and was only arrested later," he said, adding that the deceased had looked after the accused well when he came to Port Dickson.
Haniff said the defence will appeal the decision.
According to the facts of the case, the deceased's colleague decided to check on him after he failed to turn up at work on Jan 19 and 22, 2018.
When he arrived at his quarters, he found the grille unlocked and later saw the victim's decomposing body slumped on a mattress.
Police investigations later revealed that the victim had suffered multiple injuries especially to the head and face and that he had been dead for more than 72 hours.
A post mortem on the deceased revealed that he was hit on the head with a hard object.
Police arrested the accused at a restaurant in Johor Baru and seized a motorcycle belonging to the victim from him.
In follow-up operations, police also seized a mobile phone and a helmet belonging to the victim which the accused had sold to unsuspecting buyers.
The accused had also told police that they met on the WeChat application and that he had travelled to Port Dickson by bus from Johor Baru after the victim had promised to find him a job.
