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THE Putrajaya Court of Appeal has imposed the death sentence on six former National Defence University (UPNM) students convicted of murdering navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain seven years ago.
The three-member bench comprising Justices Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail, Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, and Datuk Azmi Ariffin unanimously decided to allow the prosecution’s appeal to reinstate the charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code and set aside the previous 18-year jail sentence.
Hadhariah, who chaired the panel, said the death sentence was warranted given the cruelty of the actions of Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Azamuddin Sofi, Najib Razi, Afif Najmudin Azahat, Shobirin Sabri, and Hakeem Ali, all aged 28.
“Therefore, the court allows the prosecution’s appeal to set aside the amended charge and reinstate Section 302 of the Penal Code.
“We unanimously order that there is one appropriate sentence for all six accused – they are to be brought to a place to be hanged to death.
“Their initial 18-year jail sentence is set aside and substituted with the death penalty,” Hadhariah said.
On June 1, 2017 at Serdang Hospital, Zulfarhan died of injuries caused by a steam iron, which left scalding burns on 80% of his body.
The court had earlier convicted the six men of murdering Zulfarhan at UPNM’s Jebat hostel on May 22, 2017.
The High Court in 2021 had tried the six for murder but reduced their charge to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced them to 18 years in prison.
The prosecution later sought the death penalty for the six accused as a deterrence to bullying and extreme abuse. – July 23, 2024.