KLANG, Oct 15 — The High Court has sentenced a man to death by hanging after he pleaded guilty to a charge of murdering and burning his pregnant girlfriend in Sabak Bernam two years ago.
Judge Norazlin Othman handed down the sentence on Muhammad Fakrul Aiman Sajali, 22, after he maintained his guilty plea.
He is charged with murdering Nur Anisah Abdul Wahab, 21, at Jalan Sungai Limau between 8.30pm on May 22 and 8am on May 23, 2023.
The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, provides the death penalty or imprisonment for not less than 30 years and not more than 40 years, and if not sentenced to death, shall be sentenced to whipping of not less than 12 lashes.
In her ruling, Judge Norazlin said the court was satisfied with Fakrul's unconditional guilty plea and acceptance that the facts of the case and the exhibits presented by the prosecution were true.
Given the seriousness of the offence, described as cruel and premeditated, it warranted a harsher sentence compared to a spontaneous act of violence.
“In this case, not only was one life lost, namely the victim, but also that of her unborn child, who was 18 weeks in the womb. The autopsy conducted by the Forensic Department of Sungai Buloh Hospital revealed burn marks covering almost the entire body.
“Even more horrifically, the victim’s abdomen was torn open, exposing the intestines and internal organs. The victim also sustained stab and slash wounds to the abdomen and palms.
"The accused was said to have struck the victim on the head with a stick, causing her to fall, before dragging her to the edge of a drain, taking a knife from the car, stabbing her in the abdomen, and slashing her neck,” she said.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Ashiqin Zulkifli submitted 112 exhibits to the court, which included an ultrasound image of the fetus, a knife, a stick, and the victim's clothing.
In her submission, she said the offence was severe as it involved the loss of human life, particularly that of a pregnant woman.
"The way the victim died was too cruel and should not have been treated in such a way...the accused had a plan to commit the crime, and this offence involved public interest factors and should be a lesson to all," Ashiqin said.
Meanwhile, in his mitigation, lawyer Muhammad Nor Tamrin said his client had been made a scapegoat, citing a DNA(Deoxyribonucleic Acid) report from the Malaysian Department of Chemistry, which confirmed that the 18-week-old fetus did not belong to Fakrul.
He argued that the accused had also been under pressure from a man claiming to be the husband of the victim’s cousin, who had allegedly threatened him to take responsibility for the pregnancy.
“The accused is a student at a higher learning institution with no criminal or disciplinary record and has demonstrated excellent academic performance, achieving a final examination grade point average (GPA) of 3.80,” Tamrin said.
Therefore, he urged the court to consider imposing the minimum sentence, taking into account the accused’s guilty plea entered before the commencement of the trial.
