KOTA KINABALU: A man has been sentenced to 14 years' jail by the Tawau High Court after he was found guilty of stabbing his wife to death six years ago.
Justice Dr Lim Hock Leng delivered the sentence against Jakaria Abu Bakar for unintentionally killing his wife, Norminah Bollok.
The 56-year-old man was accused of stabbing the victim after he suspected her of having an affair.
He committed the act at a house in Kampung Pinggir Bakau in the east coast Semporna district at about 4am on Jan 22, 2017.
In meting out the sentence, Justice Lim said the decision was made after taking into account the facts of the case and public interest.
"The punishment is commensurate considering this was the first offence committed by the accused," he said on Wednesday (Nov 29).
The court ordered the sentence to start from the date of his arrest on Feb 4, 2019.
The man was initially charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder which provides for the death sentence on conviction.
The charge was later changed to Section 304(a) of the same law for causing death by negligence, which provides for a maximum jail term of 30 years and a fine if found guilty.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Hurman Hussain while the accused was represented by counsel Andy Tay.
