KUALA LUMPUR: If a second chance is being seen as reasonable for a cruel killer, what about the victim?
This was the question posed by musical instrument seller Datuk Richard Morais, the younger brother of Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais whose remains were found in a barrel filled with concrete seven years ago.
"Is there a second opportunity for the victim?" Richard asked.
The 56-year-old said the abolition of the mandatory death sentence and commuting the sentences of prisoners on death row serve as a repeat of the trauma faced by family members of murder victims.
He said this was regrettable, expressing shock that there had been calls, including from the Malaysian Bar Council for these sentences to be reduced.
Richard said those convicted of murder do not deserve a second chance because of their cruelty.
"They did not experience family members being killed or any of their brothers or parents being killed, let alone brutal killings, but it happened to my brother.
"The dead do not have second chances.
"My brother 'mati katak' when he was supposed to have a bright future in his career and at the time of the incident, he was serving the nation."
Former Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin's body was found in a concrete-filled drum at Persiaran Subang Mewah, Subang Jaya, near here on Sept 16, 2015.
He was reported missing on Sept 4, 2015 and was last seen leaving his condominium at Menara Duta here in his Proton Perdana, heading to Putrajaya.
Six men were sentenced by the High Court after they were found guilty of murdering Kevin in 2020.
The six were pathologist, Colonel Dr R.Kunaseegaran, 57; Money lender, S Ravichandran, 49, and four unemployed men; R Dinishwaran, 28; Ak Thinesh Kumar, 27, M Vishwanath, 30, and S Nimalan, 27.
Richard said he was worried that the abolition of the mandatory death penalty would also result in more serious criminal incidents, especially murder.
He said this was because criminals would no longer be afraid of committing serious offences as they know they would not be sent to the gallows.
