PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court yesterday upheld the death sentence of a former cook for murdering a student by stabbing her in her front neck four years ago. A five-member panel led by Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Azahar Mohamed said the court had carefully read the High Court and Court of Appeal judgements which found that it was Syarafi Abu who had caused the fatal injury on Nur Syuhada Johari.
He said the concurrent findings of the courts below that Syarafi had caused the fatal injury were supported by evidence.
He said the main issue raised by Syarafi’s counsel was whether the deceased had stabbed herself, adding that the issue had already been considered by the High Court which had concluded it was Syarafi who had caused the fatal injury on the deceased.
“We do not see any misdirection on the part of the High Court and on the part of the Court of Appeal. We find there is no valid reason to disturb the findings of the court below,” he said in dismissing Syarafi’s final appeal against his conviction and death sentence.
Justice Azahar said the court found that Syarafi’s conviction was safe.
The other judges presiding were Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri David Wong Dak Wah and Federal Court judges Datuk Rohana Yusuf, Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan and Datuk Vernon Ong Lam Kiat.
Syarafi, 29, was found guilty and sentenced to death by the Taiping High Court in 2017 for murdering Nur Syuhada, 20, a Universiti Teknologi Mara Penang student while she was in a car with him while they were on the highway, along Km228 of the North-South Expressway near Bukit Gantang, on Feb 2, 2015. – Bernama
