SIBU: A 34-year-old Indonesian man was sentenced to 30 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane by the High Court here today (May 10) for murdering his compatriot.
Judge Wong Siong Tung convicted the accused, Salahudin from Paradowane, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia, following a full trial.
He found Salahudin guilty of the murder of Mukhlis at an oil palm plantation’s worker quarters in Mukah district on April 7, 2021, at around 6 am.
Wong took into account the severity of the offence, the circumstances, and the necessity for a deterrent sentence in the public interest.
The judge ordered Salahudin to serve the prison sentence from the date of his arrest on April 7, 2021.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Mark Kenneth Netto said the Court must pass a sentence that reflects the seriousness of the crime and deters others from committing similar offences.
Mark noted that Malaysia previously retained the death penalty for murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
However, with the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 now in effect, the mandatory death penalty has been abolished.
Section 302 has been amended to impose a prison term of not less than 30 years but not exceeding 40 years, with at least 12 strokes of whipping if not sentenced to death, he said.
“The death sentence is crucial in shaping Sarawak into one of the safest states in the country to live, study, and work in. In this case, the Court should impose the death sentence to reflect the accused’s culpability,” he added.
Mark called 17 prosecution witnesses to testify against Salahudin, who was represented by counsel Ranbir Singh.
