JOHOR BARU – The high court here today sentenced a bus driver to death by hanging after he was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, a cleaner at Singapore’s Changi Airport, in Taman Scientex near Pasir Gudang five years ago.
Judicial commissioner Shahnaz Sulaiman handed down the sentence to M. Siva Sangker, 37, after finding that the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt at the end of its case.
In the judgment, Shahnaz said the defence’s argument that the accused was in Masai when the murder took place, as well as his denial of having a motive to kill the victim, are an “afterthought”.
He said the testimony by the accused’s wife and uncle could not confirm his whereabouts at the time the murder took place, adding that the defence’s argument that the accused was in Masai was not raised during the prosecution’s case.
Siva Sangker was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code with killing V. Durga Devi, 23, in Jalan Kancil 1, Taman Scientex, at 12.15pm on November 21, 2016.
Deputy public prosecutors Muhammad Syafiq Mohd Ghazali and Suriani Ujang prosecuted, while Siva Sangker was represented by lawyer G.K. Sritharan. – Bernama, February 4, 2021