Kota Kinabalu: An Indonesian fisherman was on Tuesday sentenced to 35 years jail and ordered to be given 12 lashes of the cane by the High Court for murdering his wife, four years ago.
Judicial Commissioner Datuk Faridz Gohim Abdullah meted the sentence to Melo Guli at the end of his defence.
Melo, 41, was found guilty of committing the crime against vegetable seller Rina Amat, 36, an Indonesian, at 2.30pm on Feb 11, 2020 in a rented room on the second floor of Block I, in Segama here.
Melo was convicted under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries a sentence of either a death penalty or imprisonment for not less than 30 years but not exceeding 40 years, and if not sentenced to death, shall be punished with whipping of not less than 12 strokes for male convicts below 50 years of age.
During mitigation, counsel Goldam Hamid, representing Melo, applied for a jail sentence and submitted, among others, that based on the facts of the case, it could not be classified as the rarest of the rare cases or the worst of the worst.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Afiq Agoes applied for a death sentence, arguing that the crime committed by Melo was grotesque, heinous, and carried out with no remorse or mercy towards the deceased.
According to the evidence, the murder was so gruesome and horrible that 12 stabs were inflicted on the deceased, and it was done in front of the deceased’s 16-year-old daughter, said Afiq.
“The accused himself admitted in the trial that there was no provocation from the deceased. This makes the act of murder unjustified and inhumane. To make it even more distressing, the accused did not show any sign of remorse after causing the instant death of his wife,” Afiq submitted.
Fourteen prosecution witnesses testified at the prosecution stage.
Melo, the sole defence witness, gave sworn evidence in his defence.
The court ordered Melo, who has been held under remand since his arrest, to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest.
