A TRADER who was initially charged with murdering his mother’s boyfriend was sentenced to 13 years in jail by the Shah Alam High Court today after being found guilty of causing the death of the Pakistani.

Judge Abd Halim Aman handed down the sentence on Mohamad Shah Izwan Mohamad Zaki, 27, after amending the murder charge to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. 

The court ordered Izwan to serve the sentence from the date of arrest on March 28, 2019.

Halim, in his summary judgment, said based on the testimonies, there was no prior plan on the part of the accused to commit a fight, let alone a murder.

“The cause of the fight that led to the death of the deceased started from the act of provocation that happened before that. The incident occurred due to the actions of the deceased himself who did not respect the local tradition and culture of the community here,” he said.

Halim said the actions of the accused clearly showed that he had no mens rea to kill the deceased.

“Among them, the accused contacted the police to inform about the incident and he was also waiting at his mother’s house for the police to arrive,” he said.

Initially, Izwan was charged with murdering a Pakistani man, Muhammad Kashid, at his home on March 28, 2019 between 4am and 5.15am.

Twenty prosecution witnesses and one defence witness, the accused himself, testified during the trial that ran from December 7, 2020 and February 15, 2022.

Deputy public prosecutor Zuraini Abdul Razak prosecuted while counsel Shah Rizal Abdul Manan represented the accused. – Bernama, March 25, 2022.