Trio escape death row after being cleared of murder charge

SHAH ALAM: A housewife, her sonin-law and his friend escaped the death sentence when the High Court freed them of a murder charge over the death of her husband five years ago.

Judge Datuk Azman Husin ordered R. Yagavali, 55, P. Gunalan, 33, and P. Keeshor Kumar, 24, to be freed after finding that the defence had succeeded in raising reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.

In his brief judgment, Azman said Gunalan and Keeshor Kumar had proven their alibi that they were at the funeral of Gunalan’s employer at the time of the alleged murder.

“At the end of the defence case, the court finds that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond reasonable doubt. Therefore, the three accused are acquitted and discharged of the murder charge,” he added.

Yagavali, Gunalan and Keeshor Kumar were jointly charged with murdering P. Sukumaran, 62, at an unnumbered house in Kampung Sungai Sedu, Banting near here between 1.30am and 6am on Oct 5, 2013. The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same law, provides the death sentence upon conviction.

Based on the post-mortem report, Sukumaran’s death was attributed to an incised wound to the neck.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Lokman Kasim while lawyers M. Manoharan, A. Komathi and V. Ayasamy represented Yagavali, Gunalan and Keeshor Kumar respectively. — Bernama