By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Dec 9: A local man has been charged with murder after an Indonesian national was found dead with head injuries by the roadside along Jalan Lumba Kuda last month.
The 35-year-old accused was brought before the Magistrates’ Court, where he was informed of the charge framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 for common intention. He acknowledged understanding the charge when it was presented before Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali.
The offence carries the death penalty. If the court opts against capital punishment, a conviction could result in 30 to 40 years’ imprisonment and no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane.
Because the charge is classified as a capital offence, the court did not record a plea and denied bail.
The case has been fixed for pre-trial management on January 27, 2026, pending the full post-mortem report.
Investigators believed the victim was killed between 1.47am and 2.37am on November 23 along the same stretch of road where his body was later discovered. Sources familiar with the case said the victim, a 37-year-old Indonesian man, was employed at a satay stall in Jalan Sekama operated by the accused.
In a separate case believed to be linked to the murder, a 60-year-old man, reportedly the owner of the food-court where the satay stall operated, was charged with tampering with evidence by allegedly instructing someone to erase CCTV footage that could shed light on the murder.
He appeared before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan and pleaded not guilty. The court fixed January 12, 2026 for case management and granted him RM2,000 bail, with one local surety.
Under Section 201 of the Penal Code, the penalty for tampering with evidence related to a capital offence can reach up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine.
The alleged act of destroying the CCTV footage occurred at a hotel in Jalan Sekama at around 1am on November 25.
Police earlier confirmed that the deceased, a 37-year-old Indonesian man was found dead with an injury to his forehead on the morning of November 23. Members of the public alerted Kota Sentosa police at around 8am after spotting the body by the roadside.
Deputy public prosecutors Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly and Ahmad Fauzulutfi Suriani appeared for the prosecution in their respective cases, while both accused men were represented by lawyer Daniel Ling. – DayakDaily
