By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, March 21: A local man has escaped the gallows after the Federal Court today overturned his death sentence, replacing it with 35 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane for the murder of a pepper buyer in 2016.
A three-judge panel, led by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Sebli, along with Federal Court judges Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, unanimously allowed the final appeal of Chong Fook Fatt, 49, against his conviction and death sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal on October 20, 2022.
The ruling followed amendments to Section 302 of the Penal Code, which now provides either the death penalty or imprisonment of no less than 30 years and not more than 40 years. If not sentenced to death, the convicted person must also receive at least 12 strokes of the cane.
The court ordered Chong to begin serving his prison term from the date of his arrest on August 2, 2016.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Siew Wee led the prosecution, while Chong was represented by court-appointed lawyers Osman Ibrahim and Fadzillah Osman.
Chong was convicted of murdering Chong Siew Kiong at a pepper plantation in Kampung Jugan, along Jalan Bau-Lundu, on June 21, 2016, by shooting the victim with a shotgun. — DayakDaily
