PUTRAJAYA: A former sugarcane seller had his death sentence commuted to a maximum 40 years in jail for the murder of his Indonesian maid 15 years ago.
A three-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat made the unanimous decision.
They had allowed the review application of A. Murugan, 50, under the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act.
Tengku Maimun, who sat with Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, who is Court of Appeal president, and Datuk Nordin Hassan set aside the death penalty and ordered Murugan to serve the jail term from the date of his arrest on Oct 21,2009.
Murugan was convicted of the murder of Muntik Bani, 36, at his house in Taman Sentosa, Klang, between Oct 18 and Oct 20, 2009.
Defence counsel Sangeet Kaur Deo had asked for a jail term of less than 40 years as his client was dependent on medication and he was once in a coma for six months after a surgery.
Sangeet had asked for the death sentence to be set aside after facts showed the victim had received treatment for six days before she died.
Deputy public prosecutor How Mei Ling urged the death sentence to be maintained as Muntik was violently, cruelly and inhumanely killed.
She said Murugan had taken advantage of the victim, who had gone to his house to seek shelter, but instead, she was abused until she suffered backbone injuries.
"The injuries caused her difficulties in moving after she was repeatedly assaulted.
"Her legs were splashed with hot water while her head was shaved, when she did not do anything wrong to the man.
"She was also confined to a locked toilet for two days, without food and water.
"When she arrived at the hospital, she could not open her eyes and her body was full of injuries and she was infected."
How said her death was inevitable due to the injuries she had suffered as all major internal organs had failed due to the actions of the accused.
In Muntik's statement to the police, she said she was married with three kids in Indonesia and had been in the country for five years and had initially worked at the home of one "Miss Hung".
Muntik had said that while at Murugan's home, she was confined to the toilet for two nights without being given food and drinks.
She had said she was often beaten and kicked on her back while her right hand was broken as she was hit with a broomstick.
The victim was described as being "near death" when she was rescued from Murugan's house and had her head shaved.
She died six days later at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang.
