JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 26 — S. Adinarayanan, 43, was acquitted today by the High Court here over the murder of his housemate in Kulai five years ago.
High Court Judge Kan Wen Hin ruled there was insufficient evidence linking Adinarayanan to killing 64-year-old T. Krishnan, pronouncing him not guilty.
According to the charge sheet, Adinarayanan was accused of murdering Krishnan at a house on Jalan Senai Jaya 6 in Taman Senai Jaya, Kulai, between 1am and 8am on August 3, 2020.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or a maximum of 40 years imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction.
Krishnan was found in the house with severe head and body injuries.
Police later arrested Adinarayanan in connection with the murder.
In his judgment, Kan said the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Adinarayanan was involved.
“There is no proof that the accused was instrumental in the murder. The alleged murder weapon, a piece of wood, did not contain the accused’s DNA,” he said.
The judge also noted that the prosecution’s eyewitness had since died and could not be cross-examined, and that the witness had been intoxicated at the time of the incident and could not clearly recall meeting the accused.
“By taking this into account, I find the accused not guilty for the murder and order him to be discharged and acquitted,” Kan said.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Umar Faiz Abdul Kohar handled the prosecution, while Bernard George represented the accused.
