Court of Appeal upholds 30‑year jail, 12 strokes for trader who hid step‑brother’s body in cement drum

The Court of Appeal in Putrajaya has affirmed a 30-year imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane for Mohamad Zamhuri Azami, convicted of murdering his step-brother, Mohd Hasnul Nizar Khairul Anuar, and disposing of the body in a cement-filled drum.

The appellate court, comprised of three judges, rejected appeals from both the defense and prosecution, stating the original sentence was appropriate.

The defense's claim of self-defense was dismissed, as evidence indicated the crime exceeded culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and the prosecution's appeal for the death penalty was denied due to insufficient grounds.

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 15 — The Court of Appeal today upheld a 30-year jail sentence and 12 strokes of the cane imposed on a former trader for murdering his step-brother and concealing the body in a cement-filled drum.

A three-judge panel comprising Justices Datuk Noorin Badaruddin, Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid and Datuk Seri Latifah Mohd Tahar unanimously dismissed Mohamad Zamhuri Azami’s appeal against his conviction and sentence.

The panel also dismissed the prosecution’s appeal to impose the death penalty on the 31-year-old accused.

Delivering the court’s unanimous decision, Justice Noorin said the sentence imposed by the High Court was appropriate and did not warrant appellate intervention.

“We also find no sufficient grounds to replace the sentence with the death penalty or a 40-year prison term, as requested by the prosecution,” she said.

Justice Noorin said the possibility of an argument or altercation between the appellant and the deceased did not, in itself, establish that the fatal act was justified under the defence of private defence.

She also said the prosecution had successfully established the necessary intention through the evidence presented, leaving no grounds to substitute the conviction with one under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

On May 13 last year, the Alor Setar High Court found Mohamad Zamhuri guilty of murdering Mohd Hasnul Nizar Khairul Anuar, 34, and sentenced him to 30 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane.

The offence was committed at their home in Kampung Padang Hassan, Bukit Pinang, Alor Setar, Kedah, at 7.15pm on March 6, 2020.

According to the facts of the case, the appellant led police to the location where the victim’s body was concealed in a blue plastic drum filled with cement outside the house. Police also seized a meat-cleaving knife.

During today’s proceedings, defence counsel Ai Cha Ran argued that his client had not intended to kill his step-brother, claiming that the deceased had attacked him during an altercation and that he had acted in self-defence.

He further submitted that the evidence supported only a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code.

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Aqilah Syaza Ariffin argued that the pathologist’s testimony showed that the victim’s injuries, particularly a long and deep incised wound to the neck, were inconsistent with the defence’s account of a fight or struggle. — Bernama

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布城上诉法院维持了对莫哈末·扎姆胡里·阿扎米的30年监禁和12下鞭刑的判决，他被判谋杀其继兄莫哈末·哈斯努尔·尼扎尔·凯鲁尔·阿努尔，并将尸体丢弃在装满水泥的桶中。

由三名法官组成的上诉法院驳回了辩方和控方的上诉，称原判是适当的。

辩方提出的自卫主张被驳回，因为证据表明该罪行超过了过失杀人罪（但未达到谋杀的程度），而检方要求判处死刑的上诉也因理由不足而被驳回。

布城，10月15日讯——上诉法院今日维持对一名前商人判处的30年监禁和12下鞭刑，该男子因谋杀其继兄并将尸体藏匿于装满水泥的油桶中而被判处。

由法官拿督努林巴达鲁丁、拿督梅奥哈希米阿卜杜勒哈米德和拿督斯里拉提法莫哈末塔哈组成的三名法官小组一致驳回莫哈末赞胡里阿扎米对其定罪和判刑的上诉。

陪审团还驳回了检方对这名 31 岁被告判处死刑的上诉。

努林法官代表法庭宣读了一致裁决，称高等法院判处的刑罚是适当的，无需上诉干预。

“我们也没有找到足够的理由，按照检方的要求，将刑罚改为死刑或 40 年监禁，”她说。

努林法官表示，上诉人与死者之间发生争执或冲突的可能性本身并不能证明致命行为是正当的，可以作为自卫辩护的理由。

她还表示，检方通过提供的证据成功证明了必要的意图，因此没有理由根据《刑法典》第 304(a) 条（过失杀人罪）来取代原判。

去年 5 月 13 日，亚罗士打高等法院裁定 Mohamad Zamhuri 谋杀 34 岁的 Mohd Hasnul Nizar Khairul Anuar 罪名成立，判处其 30 年监禁和 12 下鞭刑。

该罪行于2020年3月6日晚上7时15分在吉打州亚罗士打武吉槟城Kampung Padang Hassan的家中犯下。

根据案件事实，上诉人带领警方找到了受害者的尸体，尸体被藏在一个装满水泥的蓝色塑料桶里，桶位于房屋外。警方还缴获了一把肉刀。

在今天的庭审中，辩护律师艾茶然辩称，他的当事人并非有意杀害他的继兄，声称死者在争执中袭击了他，而他是出于自卫才开枪的。

他进一步指出，证据仅支持根据《刑法典》第 304(a) 条提出的过失杀人罪指控，该罪不构成谋杀。

然而，副检察官努尔·阿基拉·沙扎·阿里芬辩称，病理学家的证词表明，受害者的伤势，特别是颈部那道又长又深的切口，与辩方关于打斗或搏斗的说法不符。——马新社

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