KUCHING, Dec 24 — A 23-year-old e-hailing driver was charged in the Magistrates’ Court here today with the murder of Nur Asikin Lan.
Zakwan Mokhtar appeared before Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura, who placed him on further remand as murder is a non-bailable offence.
Framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, the charge carries the death penalty or a minimum 30 years in jail and caning upon conviction.
As the case has yet to be transferred to the High Court, no plea was taken.
Syarifah Fatimah fixed Feb 10 for further mention after deputy public prosecutor Jean Siow Chung Hwei requested more time for the DNA and post-mortem reports to be tendered in court.
The accused allegedly committed the heinous murder because he is said to have needed money to fund a trip to Cambodia to watch a football match.
The decomposed body of Nurul Asikin, 28, was found by members of the public in a ditch on Jalan Setia Raja here on Dec 14.
The discovery led to the accused’s arrest on the same day and he was subsequently placed under remand until today.
Sarawak commissioner of police Datuk Mancha Ata said the accused is believed to have asked for Nurul Asikin’s jewellery, namely a gold bracelet and gold earrings, because he wanted to pawn them.
Separately today, Zakwan was sentenced by Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan to three months in jail after pleading guilty to a charge of falsifying a police report.
Zakwan committed the offence under Section 182 of the Penal Code at the Sentul police station in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 10.
It is believed he filed the false police report with the intention to deny he abducted Nur Asikin following a viral post claiming he was last seen with her. — The Borneo Post
