MELAKA, June 29 — A trader who trampled a man’s head for a minute which resulted in his death was sent to the gallows by the Melaka High Court here today.
The accused S. Pandiaraj, 33, was calm when Judge Datuk Ahmad Nasfy Yasin handed down the verdict after finding that the prosecution succeeded in raising a reasonable doubt at the end of the defence case.
In the sentencing, he said the court found that the death of S. Ammos Devaprraven, 27, was inconsistent with injuries sustained in a road accident as alleged by the witness.
Ahmad Nasfy added that based on the examination of the testimony of prosecution witnesses and supported by forensic evidence, the accused’s actions had caused fatal injuries.
“After careful consideration, the court is satisfied that the accused failed to give reasonable evidence against the prosecution’s case.
“The court has no option except for the death penalty,” he said.
Earlier, according to the charge, S. Pandiaraj along with two others who are still at large, were jointly charged with having the common intent to commit murder and causing the death of the victim in front of the Chithras Mini Mart, Jalan Tun Ali in Melaka Tengah district, around 4.30am on October 21, 2016.
The victim was trampled for a minute after the accused was not satisfied with him. The victim was taken to Melaka Hospital by another witness who made a false report claiming that the deceased had been a victim of a hit-and-run accident.
However, one of the witnesses contacted the deceased’s brother and told him the truth.
The accused was charged with committing the offence under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which provides for a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
The prosecution was conducted by state prosecution director Ahmad Sazali Omar and deputy public prosecutor Mohd Nabilalif Mohd Rosli while the accused was represented by lawyer Paul Krishnaraja.
A total of 16 prosecution witnesses were called throughout the proceedings conducted since 2018.
— Bernama
