MELAKA: A cattle trader has been jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
M. Maheswaran, 40, entered the plea after the amended charge was read out to him before Sessions judge Rohatul Akmar Abdullah in Ayer Keroh on Wednesday (Feb 25).
He was charged with causing the death of S. Manikumar with the intent to cause bodily harm likely to result in death between 10.30pm on May 22, 2016 and 9.50am the following day in an oil palm plantation area near Empangan Jus, Selandar, in Jasin.
The charge was framed under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, which provides for up to 30 years' jail and a fine upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Rif’ah ‘Izzati Abdul Mutalif sought a proportionate sentence, citing the loss suffered by the victim’s family, while defence counsel Daniel Savarimuthu appealed for leniency, noting that the accused had been in custody since March 3, 2022, and has four children.
Judge Rohatul Akmar ordered the seven-year sentence to run from the date of arrest. – Bernama
