The man who rammed into a motorcyclist and killed him while he was intoxicated and on drugs has been charged with murder in court today.
The accused, 28-year-old R. Sakthygaanapathy, simply nodded his head to indicate he understood the charge before magistrate A. Karthiyayini, reported NST.
Earlier, he was brought to court under heavy security and in handcuffs a day before the expiration of his four-day remand.
Seated at the public gallery was Nor Nadia Abdul Majid, the widow of the victim. She was accompanied by lawyer Mohd Faizi Che Abu, who’s holding a briefing watch for the family.
Sakthygaanapathy, who was unrepresented, put on a calm demeanor throughout proceedings and was seen repeatedly looking towards the public gallery.
No plea was recorded as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
Charges
Sakthygaanapathy was accused of causing the death of Amirul Hafiz Omar on Mar 29 at 11.47am along Jalan Raya Barat in Klang.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years upon conviction.
If the death sentence is not imposed, he must be whipped at least 12 times.
In a separate case, Sakthygaanapathy pleaded guilty to self-administering benzodiazepine and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at 3.30pm on March 29 at the Klang Selatan district police headquarters’ narcotics office.
The charge was framed under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which provides a maximum fine of RM5,000 or jail time of up to two years.
The court set June 3 for mention pending a chemical report.
Read more about the case here:
