MELAKA: A Singaporean man has been sentenced to 72 years in prison and 24 strokes of the cane by the Melaka High Court after being found guilty of murdering his wife and stepson, whose dismembered remains were discovered in a bushy area six years ago.
Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis handed down the sentence on Shahrul Nizam Zuraimy, 36, at the end of the defence case. The court ordered him to serve 36 years' imprisonment and 12 strokes for each charge, with the sentences running consecutively, starting from the date of arrest on Oct 11, 2019.
In his oral judgment, Anselm described the accused's actions as cruel, including placing his wife's head in the ceiling of their house, with no reasonable justification, apparently to conceal the crime and the victims' identities.
"The court considered the concept of life for life, as well as the emotions of the victims' family members. However, it must also look at the case as a whole and the wider public interest.
"The court also took into account the defence's submissions, aggravating factors presented by the prosecution and the victims' impact statements from the mother and sister of the deceased, who testified to suffering emotional trauma and health problems; besides the victim's surviving children also growing up without a mother's love," he said.
Shahrul Nizam was charged with two counts of murder for causing the deaths of his wife, Norfazera Bidin, 27, and her son, Muhammad Iman Ashraf Abdullah, 11, at a house in Taman Merdeka Jaya, Batu Berendam, Melaka Tengah, between 6pm on Oct 6 and 7.30am on Oct 7, 2019.
The charges, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carry the death penalty or a maximum 40-year prison sentence. If the death penalty is not imposed, whipping of no fewer than 12 strokes is mandatory.
Earlier, Norfazera's mother and sister, in their impact statements, urged the court to impose a commensurate sentence, including the death penalty, citing the trauma endured by the family and the brutality of the killings.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Mohd Asri Abd Rahman Sidik and Nur Syazwanie Marizan also sought either the death penalty or consecutive prison sentences, stressing that the accused had betrayed his role as protector of the victims.
"The accused was supposed to protect the victims but instead killed them, including a child who was his stepson. The court must balance public interest with the severity of the cruelty committed," they argued.
The prosecution also noted that the factor of regret raised by the defence should be weighed carefully, as although the accused eventually surrendered, he initially misled the victims' family about their whereabouts and fled to Singapore after the crime.
Defence lawyers Andrew Lourdes and Chua Yong Yi pleaded for leniency, arguing that their client had repented and regretted his actions, and should be given a second chance. – Bernama
