The High Court yesterday sentenced a 44-year-old local man to life imprisonment after being found guilty of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder of his one-year and five-month old daughter.
Mohammad Helmi bin Serabah initially claimed trial to one count of murder. Having assessed the evidence put forth by prosecuting officers Shamshuddin bin Haji Kamaluddin and Hajah Atiyyah binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Sura Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Abas as well as defence counsel Mohd Shazale bin Haji Mat Salleh, the court found that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the defendant had intended to cause death but convicted him of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Evidence presented during trial was that on August 26, 2019, the defendant was at home in Kampong Salambigar with the victim when he lost his temper over the victim’s crying.
The court also heard that the persistent crying was caused by the defendant burning various parts of the girl’s body with a lighter.
The defendant then carried out acts of violence on the victim leading to her death. The postmortem performed on the victim revealed 196 injuries on the body, some attributed to the defendant.
Yesterday, Judicial Commissioner Haji Abdullah Soefri bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin and Judicial Commissioner Muhammed Faisal bin Pehin Datu Juragan Laila Diraja Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Kefli sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment. On handing sentence, Judicial Commissioner Haji Abdullah Soefri called the acts by the defendant “sickening and evil” and described him as “the lowest form of human life that the court has ever seen” for what he did to a defenceless child.
The judicial commissioner also laid out the aggravating factors leading to the maximum sentence being imposed, which included the victim being the defendant’s daughter, the defendant not seeking medical treatment when his daughter lost unconsciousness and the violence on a small child. – Fadley Faisal
