A Singaporean man who murdered and dismembered the bodies of his wife and stepson six years ago in Melaka before fleeing to the republic was sentenced to 72 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane by a Malaysian court on Monday.
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Justice Anselm Charles Fernandis of the Melaka High Court ordered Shahrul Nizam Zuraimy, 36, to serve 36 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane for each charge, with the sentences running consecutively from his arrest on October 11, 2019.
Sharul was earlier charged with two counts of murder for causing the deaths of his wife, Norfazera Bidin, 27, and her son, Muhammad Iman Ashraf Abdullah, 11, at a house in Taman Merdeka Jaya in the Melaka Tengah district between 6pm on October 6, 2019, and 7.30am the following day, local media reported.
Under Section 302 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, those found guilty of murder may be sentenced to death or jailed for between 30 and 40 years. They may also receive at least 12 strokes of the cane, if convicted.
Fernandis said that based on the pathology report and testimony from the accused’s cousin, the court believed that Shahrul’s act of dismembering and disposing of the victims’ body parts in different locations appeared to be an attempt to prevent the authorities from identifying them.
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“The heads of both victims were carefully wrapped and hidden above the ceiling to avoid the smell and blood being detected. The accused also discarded parts of both victims’ bodies in a bushy area,” Fernandis told the High Court, as quoted by Berita Harian.