A former lorry driver was sentenced to 35 years in jail and 12 cane strokes for murdering a neighbour, with a concurrent 15-year term for grievous hurt.
KLANG: A former lorry driver was sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane by the High Court here today after being found guilty of murdering his neighbour four years ago.
Judge Norliza Othman also sentenced S. Panirselvam, 42, to 15 years’ imprisonment for causing grievous hurt to another neighbour. The court ordered both sentences to run concurrently, effective from his arrest date on December 13, 2022.
For the first charge, Panirselvam was found guilty of causing the death of Muhammad Hafiz Abdullah, 52. The murder occurred in front of a house along Jalan Tepi Sungai between 10.30 am and 11 am on December 13, 2022.
On the second charge, he was convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Ng Hui Can, 46, with a parang at the same place and time. Deputy public prosecutor Farah Aqilah Ahmad Fuad had urged the court to impose the death penalty, stressing that murder is a grave offence.
She said CCTV footage showed the accused repeatedly attacking both victims with a parang. This caused fatal injuries to the deceased and serious injuries to the other victim.
“Even after the deceased was no longer able to defend himself, the accused continued the attack,” she said. She argued this made the offence more serious and not to be taken lightly.
Defence counsel Zamri Ibrahim appealed for a lighter sentence. He said his client had expressed remorse over his actions.
