ALOR SETAR: The High Court here has acquitted and discharged a former warden at a private drug rehabilitation centre on a charge of murdering an inmate at the facility in Sintok, Changlun, four years ago.
Justice Evawani Farisyta Mohammad ordered Sidi Ahmad Amin Mamat, 50, to be freed on Monday (Dec 22) after ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case.
In delivering her judgment, Justice Evawani Farisyta said the prosecution had failed to prove that the injuries sustained by the deceased were caused by the accused.
She said the evidence raised the possibility that the victim had been assaulted by other individuals at two or three different locations, noting that two traces of DNA from unknown persons were found on the deceased’s clothing.
The judge also noted that while Sidi Ahmad Amin was charged with hitting the victim on the chest and neck, the prosecution’s own pathologist testified that the cause of death was injuries to the abdominal aorta.
As a result, the court ruled that the charge could not be sustained and ordered the accused to be acquitted without having to enter his defence.
Sidi Ahmad Amin was charged with murdering Umar Muhajir Ghazali at the drug rehabilitation centre near here between 11am and 6.30pm on Nov 4, 2021.
The charge was framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides for the death sentence, or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years with no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction. – Bernama
