PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal on Friday (Sept 4) described the murder of a family of four in a fire in Tanjung Sepat nine years ago, involving a deaf and mute man who was found guilty of the offence, as an extremely serious and brutal murder.
Court of Appeal judge Datuk Noorin Badaruddin, who led a three-member panel, said two senior citizens and two children lost their lives in the incident.
In this regard, judge Noorin, sitting with Datuk Mohd Radzi Abdul Hamid and Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, unanimously dismissed the appeal by Kang Chang Heng, 47, to set aside the conviction and death sentence handed down by the Shah Alam High Court on Nov 25, 2025.
"The appellant (Kang) attacked an elderly woman who was on a wooden chair at the time, before chasing her and continuing to attack the woman after she fell. The appellant then attacked SP1, an 11-year-old boy, by slashing his neck twice, besides intentionally setting the house on fire.
"SP1 survived, but suffered a violent and serious physical attack, and he was a witness to the incident. Upon regaining consciousness, SP1 saw the fire blazing and heard the screams of those trapped inside the house. In our view, this case is far more serious compared to ordinary murder cases," said judge Noorin.
Regarding the appellant's deaf and mute condition, judge Noorin said it was a relevant factor in considering his defence.
"However, it must be emphasised that we do not consider the appellant's deaf and mute condition as an aggravating factor for sentencing. We also do not view it as a mitigating factor that could outweigh the seriousness of the offence he committed," the judge said.
According to judge Noorin, the court had scrutinised the appellant's defence, which stated that he had borrowed money from an ah long (loan shark) by providing the victims' home address as collateral, and that the appellant had gone to the house after being informed that the residence had been set on fire.
"The appellant himself admitted that he did not inform the 22nd prosecution witness (SP22), Christina (Hui Ling), that he was at her family's house that morning, even though the appellant knew Christina's parents had died in the fire. The appellant also admitted he did not lodge a police report regarding the alleged message from the ah long or regarding the burning of the house," she said.
She also noted that the High Court judge did not err in concluding that the prosecution had proven all essential elements of all the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
"We find no material misdirection, misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the evidence, nor any error in principle that warrants intervention at the appellate stage. Therefore, we uphold the death penalty imposed on the appellant," she said during the proceedings, which were attended by Deputy Public Prosecutor How May Ling and lawyer Jasmine Cheong, representing Kang.
Kang was charged with murdering an elderly couple, Chia Tee Nang, 73, and his wife, Lim Mai Shak, 68, who were the parents of the appellant's girlfriend, as well as their two grandsons, Chia Yuan Bin, 3, and Ryan Chia Zeng Xi, 9, at a house on Jalan Tepi Laut, Tanjung Sepat, Kuala Langat, between 4am and 5am on Dec 13, 2017.
The charges were framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides for the death penalty or imprisonment of not less than 30 years and a maximum of 40 years, as well as whipping of not less than 12 strokes if the death penalty is not imposed.
Kang, a furniture factory worker who was arrested on Dec 15, 2017, is believed to be the boyfriend of the deceased couple's youngest daughter, Chia Hui Ling, who is also deaf and mute.
The Court of Appeal also upheld Kang's nine-year prison sentence for causing hurt to another of the couple's grandsons, Andrew Chia Zeng Haol, 11, under Section 324 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, a fine or whipping.
On Oct 19, 2022, the Shah Alam High Court discharged and acquitted Kang of all five charges without ordering him to enter his defence at the end of the prosecution's case.
On Sept 2, 2024, the Court of Appeal remitted the case to the Shah Alam High Court after overturning the acquittal and ruling that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case, ordering Kang to enter his defence. - Bernama
