BATU PAHAT, Feb 10 — An unemployed man was charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today with the murder of his girlfriend late last month.

Lim Chee Seong, 44, nodded in understanding after the charge was read out before Magistrate Arun Noval Dass. However, no plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

Lim is accused of causing the death of Lim Bee Lan, 41, at a house in Taman Damai, Batu Pahat, between 10 pm on Jan 26 and 11 am the following day.

He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or a maximum of 40 years in prison and up to 12 strokes of the cane if not sentenced to death, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Firdaus Ruslan prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.

The court set April 27 for mention, pending post-mortem, DNA, CCTV forensic, and the accused’s medical reports. Bail was not allowed.

The woman’s body was found after police, together with the victim’s family and the house owner, raided the rented residence, after her family failed to contact her for three days.

Also found during the raid was the accused, lying critically injured on a bed beside her, with cut wounds on his neck and wrists. — Bernama