Kota Kinabalu: A 20-year-old local escaped the gallows when his charge of murdering an entertainment outlet employee last year was reduced to that of manslaughter.Jobless Mohd Saddam Gapar of Tawau, however, pleaded not guilty to the lesser charge of causing the death of one Samsuddin Ahmad, 32, at 4.22am on April 11, 2010 at the ground floor of the Razz Ma Tazz in SB Tower, Km 2.5, Jalan Tuaran, here.
The offence, framed under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, carries a jail term of up to 30 years and liability of a fine, on conviction.
Earlier Thursday, Saddam's case was transferred to the Sessions Court from the Magistrate's Court.
High Court Deputy Registrar Marlina Ibrahim, who sat as a Sessions Court judge, set May 16-18 this year for trial.
Saddam, who has been remanded for 11 months, was released on a bail of RM10,000 with RM5,000 deposited in two local sureties.
He was also ordered to report himself once every three weeks at the Tawau police station.
The prosecution informed the court that about 38 witnesses would be calling to the hearing.
Chief Inspector Ismail Mohammad Razali appeared for the prosecution, while Saddam was represented by counsel Ansari Abdullah.
