July 12 re-mention for man charged with killing mother

KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here yesterday fixed July 12 to re-mention the case of a man charged with killing his mother in Kota Belud last year.

Justice Datuk Nurchaya Hj Arshad put off the case of Bukhari Jinol, 39, pending further instruction from the deputy public prosecutor’s office.

Deputy public prosecutor Gan Peng Kun, who handled the trial, briefed the court that he had received an instruction from their headquarters to proceed with the trial even though Gan had recommended a lesser charge of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the accused.

Gan also disclosed that his superior said the prosecution has sufficient evidence to prosecute the accused under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

In reply, government-assigned counsel Rizwandean Bukhari M. Borhan, who represented the accused, informed the court that a psychiatrist report issued by a mental hospital showed that the accused was of unsound mind during the alleged murder as he had allegedly consumed syabu at that time.

The accused was arrested for murdering his 57-year-old mother at an unnumbered house at Kampung Linau at 10.40 pm on May 1, 2017.

The charge levelled against the accused carries the mandatory death penalty, upon conviction.

In an unrelated case, a man will have his further pre-trial case management on July 9 at the same court for allegedly trafficking in 4,619 grams of syabu.

Mohd Zubir Hj Sabtal@ Hj Jamil, 34, was accused of committing the offence at a hotel at Bandar Sepnggar in Menggatal at 2.45am on January 4.

The accused, who was defended by counsel Dominic Chew, is currently detained in custody, pending disposal of the case.