SEREMBAN: A 44-year-old man has been sentenced to 32 years' jail by the High Court here for causing the deaths of a five-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman.
The accused, who had claimed trial when first charged with murdering the duo in 2022, pleaded guilty under an alternative charge under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Lawyer Nur Haifa Husna Zuhaimi said Judge Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh sentenced the accused to 17 years in jail for causing the death of five-year-old Hanan Hasrul Izwan.
He was charged with committing the offence with his daughter (a juvenile at the time) at a house in Taman Nee Yan near here around 7pm on March 3, 2022.
The victim's skeletal remains were found in a jungle near his house on April 7.
The court, however, acquitted and discharged the accused's daughter of the charge.
Nur Haifa was keeping a watching brief for Hanan's family.
She said the court sentenced the accused to another 15 years in jail for causing the death of 29-year-old Merriamah Abdullah Basam, whose remains were found in a ravine along Jalan Bukit Putus on March 20, 2022.
He was charged with committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder between March 13 and 15, 2022, at the same house under Section 304 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to 30 years upon conviction.
The father and daughter were initially charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction or a jail term of between 30 and 40 years and whipping.
Nur Haifa said the court heard victim impact statements from family members of both the deceased before Judge Ahmad Sharir delivered judgment, adding that the accused was ordered to serve his sentences consecutively.
