Accused in DPP’s murder denies alcohol party to boost courage

KUALA LUMPUR: The fourth accused in the deputy public prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais’s murder trial denied that an alcohol-fuelled party was held by him and three other accused a day before Kevin Morais went missing to boost their courage to murder the victim.

A.K Thinesh Kumar, 25, said this during cross examination by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin on the fourth day of the defence trial of the murder case in the High Court here yesterday.

Wan Shaharudin: At what age did you start drinking alcohol?

Thinesh Kumar: About when I was 20 or 21 years.

Wan Shaharudin: During that period, do you expect the court to believe that on Sept 3, 2015 (a day before Kevin Morais was reported missing) was your first alcohol party? Or was there a party like this before?

Thinesh Kumar: I had it (alcohol party) before, when I was working. I drank it at midnight.

Wan Shaharudin: I say, on Sept 3, 2015, you had an alcohol party to give you the courage to murder Kevin Morais. Thinesh Kumar: I disagree. Earlier, during the examinationin-chief by counsel V.Rajehgopal, the third defence witness told the court that he gathered with three other accused M.Vishwanath, S.Nimalan dan R.Dinishwaran and drank 24 cans of alcohol after having a dinner on Sept 3 until 4 am on Sept 4, 2015.

He said after drinking the alcohol, Nimalan told him that he was hungry and they went straight to a nearby restaurant and saw S. Ravi Chandaran and G.Gunasekaran.

“After having the breakfast, Nimalan told Ravi Chandaran that we wanted to go to a hotel, at that time Gunasekaran asked us to tail him and I asked Nimalan why it was so early, he said he also did not get the answer (from Gunasekaran) for that question,” he said.

Thinesh Kumar said they then followed Gunasekaran and Ravi Chandaran who were on the Proton Perdana car while he, Vishwanath, Nimalan and Dinishwaran boarded the Mitsubishi Triton vehicle.

To Rajehgopal’s question where they were heading to, Thinesh Kumar replied he did not know as he had fallen asleep right after he got into the vehicle.

He also said that he had no idea of what was going on while they were on their way and was only woken up after they arrived at a hotel.

Replying to another of Rajehgopal’s question on whether he knew that the vehicle he was travelling in was involved in an accident, Thinesh Kumar said he did not know what was going on.

“I reached Kuala Lumpur from Kedah at about 5.30 am on Sept 3, I did not sleep at all and as soon as we arrived, we had a meal, went to watch a movie and played snooker and I was very tired and fell asleep in the car after having drinking so much alcohol,” he said.

Thinesh Kumar also told the court that he was arrested on Sept 16, 2015 over a murder case and when asked if he was involved in the case, he said: “I did not know that any such thing had happened,” he said.

Dinishwaran, 26; Thinesh Kumar, 25; Vishwanath, 28; Nimalan, 25, Ravi Chandaran, 47, and army pathologist, Colonel Dr. R. Kunaseegaran pleaded not guilty to a charge of murdering Kevin Morais between 7 am and 8 pm on Sept 4, 2015, while Kevin Morais was on his way from Jalan Dutamas 1, Sentul to No 1 Jalan USJ1/6D, Subang Jaya.

They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code which carries the mandatory death sentence, upon conviction.

The trial before Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah continues on March 7. - Bernama