Missing Turn Murder : Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya (18)

Court Sets Feb 21 For Decision On Revision Appeal On Banting Murders

SHAH ALAM -- The High Court here will decide on Feb 21 the revision appeal of two farmhands, who were sentenced to seven years' jail for disposing off evidence in the murders of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

Judge Mohtarudin Baki set the date as he needed more time to study the submissions put forward by the defence counsel and the deputy public prosecutor.

On Oct 15 last year, K. Sarawanan, 20, and U. Suresh, 27, were sentenced to seven years' jail each by the Telok Datok Magistrate's Court, Banting after they pleaded guilty to four counts of disposing evidence of the murders under Section
201 of the Penal Code.

Sarawanan was charged with burning the bodies of Sosilawati, 47, CIMB bank officer Noorisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamal Abdul Karim, 32, while Suresh was charged with disposing the ashes.

They were sentenced to seven years' jail each for the four charges, which were to run concurrently.

In today's proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin asked the court to uphold the sentence passed by the Magistrate's Court on the grounds that it was the right decision based on facts and provisions of the law.

Saiful Edris was assisted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Ishak Mohd Yusoff and Idham Abd Ghani while the two accused were represented by counsel A.S. Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal asked the court to consider the guilty plea by the accused to be set aside and that they should be considered not guilty until the case was returned to the Magistrate's Court.

(Bernama)