ALOR STAR, Aug 9 — The father of rape-cum-murder victim Chee Gaik Yap, today said he felt relief now that his 10-year wait to get justice for her daughter was paid off with the culprit sent to the gallows.
The High Court here today sentenced Shahril Jaafar, 34, to death after finding him guilty for murdering Gaik Yap, 25, a graduate of Universiti Utara Malaysia.
Chee’s semi-nude body was found on Jan 15, 2006 at Jalan Kelab Cinta Sayang.
She had gone jogging with her younger sister in the Kelab Cinta Sayang premises when she was abducted.
Chee Ah Sau, 67, said he had been praying for the past 10 years that his daughter’s killer would be punished.
“I feel relieve now, but will not be satisfied until the punishment is meted on him,” he told reporters when met outside the court here today.
The Alor Star High Court had on June 25, 2013, acquitted Shahril of the charge, but on Oct 13 last year, following an appeal by the prosecution, the Court of Appeal overturned the acquittal and ordered Shahril to enter his defence.
Ah Sau said Gaik Yap, the third of six siblings, was an intelligent girl and his only daughter to be able to pursue studies until university level.’ “She was the family hope,” he added.
He said Gaik Yap was also supposed to go to Germany for training before the tragic incident befell her.
“Everything was ready. The tickets had been bought, and then it happened,” he added. — Bernama
*A previous version of the wire story incorrectly gave the name of the deceased as Chee Gaip Yap. It has since been corrected by us.
