Farm worker to hang for murder of Bangladeshi man in Perak

IPOH: A farm worker has been sentenced to death by the High Court here for the murder of a Bangladeshi national, whose body was found dumped in a river in Kampung Gajah seven years ago.

Mohamad Amier Amzar Mohd Aspar, 28, was convicted of murdering Md Ovaidul, 32, who worked at a cattle farm owned by the accused’s father.

Justice Su Tiang Joo, in delivering the sentence, said there were several aggravating circumstances, including the fact that the victim died in a brutal manner where his neck was slit and both legs were tied.

“The victim’s body was also taken to the riverbank and unceremoniously dumped into the river in an attempt to erase traces of the crime.

“The death was not sudden or quick. The murder was carried out in a brutal manner which has caused pain.

“The accused even threatened a witness and attempted to clean up the crime scene,” he said.

The court also heard that the deceased, third out of the six siblings had come to Malaysia at the age of 25 and had worked here for at least seven years, including four years at the accused’s father’s cattle farm.

He was the sole breadwinner for his family and had plans to marry.

The judge said that death sentence was appropriate, with the accused to be hanged and all case exhibits ordered to be disposed.

According to the court proceedings, Amier was charged with another suspect Muhammad Noor Izwan Mat Zamin, 19, under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murdering Md Ovaidul, between 8.20pm and 10.25pm on Dec 15, 2018, at Sungai Kinta, near the Sungai Galah area in Kampung Gajah.

The proceedings, which began on Jan 6, 2020, saw 24 witnesses.

During the proceedings, Amier was also referred for psychiatric evaluation under Section 342(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code after his family claimed he had mental health issues.

Deputy Public Prosecutor J. Geetha led the prosecution, while the accused was represented by lawyer V. Santhiran.