By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Oct 14: A local man escaped the gallows after the Court of Appeal here commuted his death sentence to 30 years in prison for the murder of his 52-year-old girlfriend eight years ago.
The three-judge panel—Datuk Azman Abdullah, Datuk Azmi Ariffin, and Datuk Wong Hock Leng—also ordered that Abdul Rahim Wahap, 33, be caned 12 times.
Abdul Rahim was originally sentenced to death by the Miri High Court in December 2022 after being found guilty of murdering his partner.
The incident took place between November 28 and 29, 2017, at the Lutong Bridge in Miri. The body of the victim was later discovered inside a sack floating in a river by a villager, who alerted the local headman and lodged a police report.
A post-mortem revealed that the woman died from severe injuries to her neck and chest caused by a blunt object.
Investigations revealed that Abdul Rahim and the victim were in a romantic relationship. The woman had reportedly helped him with his workshop business, which later failed, and had demanded her money back.
Witnesses told investigators that the two often argued, with one claiming to have overheard Abdul Rahim threatening to kill her during a phone call. He was arrested a few days after the murder.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Amril Johari appeared for the prosecution, while Abdul Rahim was represented by court-appointed lawyers Firdaus Morshidi and Mohd Ikmal Iqbal Baharuddin. — DayakDaily
