KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — A Universiti Pertahanan Malaysia (UPNM) student told the High Court here today that he sent poison-pen letters, to the university’s top management, instead of approaching them, to inform that Cadet Marine Officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain was abused because he did not want to receive the same fate as the victim.

Muhammad Aiman Aufa Asmadi Affendi, 22, a third year Civil Engineering student at the university, said by sending the poison-pen letter, his identity would not be known.

“I was afraid my identity would be known,” he said during re-examination by Kuala Lumpur prosecuting director Othman Abdullah on the 13th day trial of six UPNM students charged in Zulfarhan Osman’s death.

When asked whether his action in sending the poison-pen letter was enough to help Zulfarhan Osman, Muhammad Aiman Aufa said, “no”.

“If I knew he would die, I would have sent him to hospital,” he added.

During the last proceeding, Muhammad Aiman Aufa told the court that he sent the poison-pen letters after seeing the victim lying on a bed with his body covered with blisters and blackish patches in room 4-10, UPNM hostel on May 22, 2017.

Muhammad Aiman Aufa said the first letter was place at the fence of the Armed Forces Hospital (Resat) on May 23, 2017, while the second letter was placed under the door of a trainer’s room the following day.

Six UPNM students, Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi, Muhammad Azamuddin, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali have pleaded not guilty to the murder and abetment in the murder of Zulfarhan Osman at room 04-10, Jebat hostel block of UPNM between 4.45 am and 5.45 am, on May 22, 2017.

The charges against them, all aged 22, were made under Section 302 and 109 of the Penal Code which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

They, together with 13 other students, were also charged with voluntarily causing hurt to the victim to make him confess to the laptop theft, under Section 330 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code which provides for a maximum jail term of seven years and fine, if convicted.

The hearing before judge Datuk Azman Abdullah continues on Oct 27. — Bernama