MELAKA: 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 (Aug 18).
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 Oct 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 Oct 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 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.
“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.
He added that the court had also considered Shahrul’s actions of cleaning the house after the incident before fleeing to Singapore, where he was arrested by the police and later handed over to the Malaysian authorities.
“The court also took into account the defence’s submissions, aggravating factors presented by the prosecution and the victims’ impact statements from the mother and sister of the deceased, who testified to suffering emotional trauma and health problems, besides the victim’s surviving children also growing up without a mother’s love,” Fernandis was quoted as saying by Bernama.
