JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Baru High Court Thursday sentenced a bus driver to death by hanging after he was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, who was a cleaner at the Changi International Airport, at Taman Scientex, near Pasir Gudang, five years ago.
Judicial Commissioner Dr Shahnaz Sulaiman handed down the sentence on M. Siva Sangker, 37, after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubts at the end of the defence case.
In the judgment, Dr. Shahnaz said the argument by the defence that the accused was not at the murder scene, but was in Masai, when the murder took place, and his denial of having a motive to kill the victim because he and the victim were good friends, were mere denial and an ‘afterthought’.
He said the testimony by the accused’s wife and uncle also could not confirm the whereabouts of the accused when the murder took place and the defence by the accused of being in Masai was also not raised during the prosecution’s case.
Siva Sangker was a picture of calm when the decision was read out to him in Tamil by a court interpreter.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code with murdering V. Durga Devi, 23, at Jalan Kancil 1, Taman Scientex, Pasir Gudang, at 12.15 pm on Nov 21, 2016.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutors Muhammad Syafiq Mohd Ghazali and Suriani Ujang, while Siva Sangker was represented by lawyer G.K Sritharan.
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