KUALA LUMPUR – A policeman with the rank of lance corporal was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and fined RM10,000 by the sessions court today after he was found guilty of causing hurt with the intention of causing death to a labourer five years ago.
Judge Mahyon Talib meted out the sentence on Baxter Kisar, 32, after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubts against the prosecution’s case and ordered the accused to serve the sentence starting today.
The court also ordered the accused to serve six months in jail if he failed to pay the fine.
Baxter was accused of committing the offence against A. Krishnan, 38, in front of a food outlet in Jalan Rampai Niaga, Sri Rampai, Wangsa Maju here between 5am and 5.45am on July 18, 2017, under Section 307 of the Penal Code that carries a maximum 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine.
A total of 14 prosecution witnesses and three defence witnesses gave their testimonies at the trial that started in October 2019.
At the same court, used car salesman M. Manimaran, 36, was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and fined RM10,000 after he was found guilty of causing death to a restaurant customer, P. Logan Nathan, who was 27.
The court ordered the sentence to start today and the accused was also ordered to serve a six-month jail sentence if he failed to pay the fine.
Manimaran was charged along with two others, who are still at large, with committing the offence at Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar here, at 2.23am on March 23, 2010, under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 30 years and a fine.
Earlier, lawyers George Goh and Ashok Kandiah, who represented Baxter and Manimaran respectively, applied for a suspension of the jail sentence and fine as their clients would be appealing against the decision to the high court.
Ashok also pleaded for a lenient sentence on the grounds that Manimaran regretted getting involved in the fight, which was to help his friend, adding that his client cooperated well with the police for 10 years since his arrest apart from having no previous conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Abdul Khaliq Nazeri objected to the lawyer’s application saying that there were no special circumstances to justify the suspension of the sentences against both the accused and the presumption of innocence no longer existed as the court had found them guilty.
The court dismissed the application for both cases. – Bernama, March 28, 2022
