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A SINGAPOREAN national was sentenced to 72 years in prison and 24 strokes of the cane by the High Court here on Monday after being found guilty of the murders of his wife and stepson six years ago
High Court Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis handed down the sentence to Shahrul Nizam Zuraimy, 36, after considering arguments from the defence and the aggravating factors presented by the prosecution at the end of the defence's case.
The court's decision also took into account impact statements from the victims' sister, mother, and elder sister. The judge ordered the sentence to begin from the date of the accused’s arrest on October 11, 2019.
"What the accused did was cruel by placing his wife’s head on the ceiling of the house, in addition to dismembering and disposing of parts of both victims' bodies in different areas," the judge said.
"The victim's head was wrapped and hidden on the roof to avoid any smell or blood traces, and the court also considered the accused’s action of discarding parts of the victims' bodies in a bush," he added.
He explained that no reasonable excuse was presented by the accused and the act was clearly intended to conceal the identities of both victims.
The court then imposed a sentence of 36 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane for each charge. Based on the two charges, the accused was found to have committed the murders, causing the deaths of Norfazera Bidin, 27, and her son, Muhammad Iman Ashraf Abdullah, 11.
The crimes were committed in a house on Jalan MJ 10, Taman Merdeka Jaya, Batu Berendam, Melaka Tengah, between 6 pm on October 6, 2019, and 7:30 am on October 7, 2019.
The charges were made under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides for the death penalty or a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 40 years in prison, as well as a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane if not sentenced to death.
Earlier, Norfazera’s mother and sister, in their victim impact statements, insisted they wanted the accused to be hanged to death, citing the trauma they experienced and the exceptionally cruel manner of the murders.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Mohd Asri Abd Rahman Sidik and Nur Syazwanie Marizan also requested the death penalty, considering public interest, the number of victims, the level of cruelty, and the facts of the case.
However, if the death penalty was deemed unsuitable, the prosecution suggested that separate prison sentences be imposed for each offence.
The accused, represented by lawyers Andrew Lourdes and Chua Yong Yi, appealed for a second chance for their client, arguing that he had repented and regretted his actions.
For the record, the trial began on June 11, 2020, and involved 26 prosecution witnesses and one defence witness. - August 18, 2025