ACCUSED FIRST MET AT EATERY
Meeting was unplanned, third accused tells court
THE High Court heard here yesterday that five of the accused in the murder of deputy public prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais first met at a restaurant. Third accused R. Dinishwaran said the meeting on Sept 3, 2015 was unplanned.
Dinishwaran said his friend, M. Vishwanath (fifth accused), who was in Kedah, had contacted him about intending to buy a car and that he was going to Kuala Lumpur for the purpose.
“I told him to hold his trip as I wanted to telephone my friend Selvam (seventh accused S. Ravi Chandaran) first, and ask him (about cars).
“On Sept 3, 2015, Vishwanath came to my cousin’s house in Serdang with his friend S. Nimalan (sixth accused),” Dinishwaran said in response to counsel V. Rajehgopal during the examination-in-chief on the second day of the trial yesterday.
The defence witness said Nimalan, whom he only came to know later, informed him that Selvam had requested him to send Vishwanath to his (Dinishwaran’s) house for the car sale.
“I told Nimalan I wanted to meet Selvam and he suggested that we mee et up at a restaurant. When wew reached the restaurant (about 5.30am), Selvam was there with another person named Jay (second accused, G. Gunasekaran, who has since been acquitted).”
Dinishwaran said another man he was not familiar with, apart from Jay, was at the table e.
To Raj eh go pal’ s quest i io onn whether he now knew who the man was, Dinishwaran replied: “Yes, his name is A.K. Thinesh Kumar”, indicating the fourth accused who was in the dock.
He also told counsel that he, Vishwanath, Nimalan and Thinesh Kumar booked a hotel room to stay the night. Later, together with Selvam and Jay, they went out for a meal, watched a movie, played snooker, drank beer and spent time talking till 5am on Sept 4, 2015, he said. Dinishwaran, 26; Thinesh Kumar, 25; Vishwanath, 28; Nimalan, 25, Ravi Chandaran, 47, and army doctor, Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, 55, are accused of killinkllng Kevin Morais along Jalan DDutamas 1, Sentul to No. 1 Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8pm on Sept 4, 2015.
They face the mandatory death sentence if found guilty, under Section 302 of the Penal Code. Gunasekaran, 49, is serving twwo years’ jail effective from his arrearrest on Sept 15, 2015, after pleading guilty on Dec 20, 2016 to an alternative charge of concealing Kevin Morais’ body and disposing of the deceased’s car, under Section 201 of the Penal Code.
The defence trial presided by justice Datuk Azman Abdullah has been adjourned to Feb 22.