Doan may be freed next month
Vietnamese escapes gallows after pleading guilty to alternative charge
SHAH ALAM: Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong who escaped the gallows after she pleaded guilty to an alternative charge in the murder trial of Kim Jong-nam may be released as early as next month.
The 30-year-old was sentenced to three years and four months’ jail by the High Court here after she pleaded guilty to a new charge under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
Her lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said prisoners were entitled to onethird remission of their sentence.
“So by our calculations, she would be released on May 4,” he told reporters here yesterday.
According to the alternative charge, Doan and four individuals still at large had caused hurt to Kim Chol, an alias used by Jong-nam when he travelled, by using a dangerous substance to the body known as VX nerve agent.
Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was killed at the departure hall of KLIA2 in Sepang at 9am on Feb 13, 2017.
Doan was previously charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code and faced the mandatory death penalty if found guilty.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad asked the court to give paramount consideration to public interest and mete out a deterrent sentence.
Hisyam, however, asked the court to consider that Doan was a first-time offender with no previous criminal record.
“Her father is a war veteran and a stall owner. She is the youngest of five children,” he said.
High Court judge Justice Azmi Ariffin told Doan that she was a “very, very lucky person” to have been offered a lesser charge by the prosecution.
He said that although Section 324 of the Penal Code provides for a maximum 10 years’ imprisonment or fine or whipping, or any two of such punishments, Doan could only stand to be jailed or fined as females cannot be punished by whipping under the law.
“As you are aware, I have found prima facie in the prosecution’s case. I call on you to enter your defence.
“If the trial proceeds, you may be sentenced to death if you are convicted unless you are able to raise a reasonable doubt in your case,” he said directly to Doan.
Doan was seen bowing several times as Justice Azmi read his decision.
The court also noted that Doan had pleaded guilty at the first instance the alternative charge was offered.
“I’ve no slightest doubt that your guilty plea should be a mitigating factor as you had saved judicial time,” he said.
Justice Azmi then passed the sentence and ordered for the jail time to run from Doan’s date of arrest, which was Feb 15, 2017.
“I believe the length of the sentence will serve the interest of justice,” he said.
Doan, through her interpreter, thanked the court, the Attorney General, the prosecution, her defence team and the Vietnamese government.
To this, the judge replied: “Soon you will be back in your country and back to your family”.
The turn of events in Doan’s case came two weeks after Indonesian Siti Aisyah, who was accused of the murder together with Doan, was released unexpectedly on March 11.
Doan was scheduled to testify in her defence on March 12 but the hearing was postponed to yesterday after the court found her to be mentally and physically unfit to take the stand following Siti Aisyah’s release.
After the proceedings ended, Doan spoke to the press from the dock and said she would like to pursue acting and singing once she was freed.
“I am very happy. I want to sing and act,” she said.