AN unemployed man was charged in the Batu Pahat magistrate’s court today with the murder of his girlfriend, a supermarket worker, following the discovery of her body at their home late last month.
Lim Chee Seong, 44, nodded to indicate he understood the charge when it was read before magistrate Arun Noval Dass. No plea was recorded, as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
Lim is accused of killing Lim Bee Lan, 41, at a house in Taman Damai, Batu Pahat, between 10pm on Jan 26 and 11am the following day.
The charge was brought under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or, if not sentenced to death, imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years and at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Deputy public prosecutor Firdaus Ruslan appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.
Firdaus requested that the case be fixed for mention pending the completion of the post-mortem report, DNA analysis, forensic examination of closed-circuit television footage and the medical report on the accused.
The court set April 27 for mention and denied bail.
The victim’s body was discovered on Jan 30 after her family, unable to reach her for three days, sought help from the police and the Fire and Rescue Department to break into the locked house.
Police found her lifeless on a bed alongside the accused, who was in critical condition with slash wounds to his neck and wrists.
Investigators believe the accused attempted to take his own life after the incident, with initial findings suggesting the killing was driven by jealousy. - February 10, 2026
