PUTRAJAYA – The Court of Appeal here today upheld the death sentence of a former lorry attendant for the murder of an 85-year-old woman after raping and sodomising her five years ago.
A panel of three judges, led by Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail, unanimously dismissed K. Sathiaraj’s, 31, appeal to set aside his conviction and death sentence imposed by the Shah Alam High Court on August 26, 2022.
“We find there is no merit in the appellant’s appeal, and the conviction is safe. This is a suitable case for imposing the death sentence. Therefore, the conviction and sentence by the high court are upheld, and the appeal is dismissed,” said Hadhariah, sitting with judges Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk S.M. Komathy Suppiah.
Sathiaraj was found guilty of killing the woman in a flat in Kg Tasik Tambahan, Ampang, Selangor, between 11.40am and 1pm on September 19, 2019.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
Prior to that, he pleaded guilty to raping and sodomising the woman and was sentenced to 13 years in jail and five cane lashes by the Ampang sessions court. He did not appeal the court’s decision.
Earlier, lawyer Hasshahari Johari Mawi, representing Sathiaraj, in his submission, applied for the death sentence imposed on his client to be replaced with a prison sentence under the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023 that came into force last year.
He was also assisted by lawyer Muhamad Hafizan Shafuan Kamarulzaman.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari. – February 27, 2024