GEORGE TOWN: A 46-year-old cleaner has been charged with the murder of a disabled man he allegedly struck while driving a vehicle while involved in a high-speed chase with the police.
Mohamad Adlin Abd Rahman nodded to indicate he understood the charge read out to him before Magistrate R. Manomani at a Magistrate’s court here on Wednesday (June 23).
He is charged with killing 61-year-old Teoh Kar Hin between 6.45am and 6.50am on June 15 along Jalan Perak here.
The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, carries a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
No plea was recorded from Mohamad Adlin for the non-bailable offence.
In the same court, Mohamad Adlin pleaded not guilty to a charge of obstructing a civil servant from carrying out his duty under Section 186 of the Penal Code.
He was accused of obstructing four policemen from carrying out their duties from the traffic light along Jalan Perak and Jalan P. Ramlee to Jalan Batu Uban, at between 6.45am and 7.25am on the same date.
He also claimed trial to a drug-related charge under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for testing positive for methamphetamine at the scene.
Separately, Mohamad Adlin was charged in the Sessions Court here with possession of 12.5g of heroin under Section 12 (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same act.
Mohamad Adlin, who appeared calm, pleaded not guilty to the charge before Sessions judge Norsalha Hamzah.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohammad Nazri Abdul Rahim prosecuted all four charges while R. Puran represented Mohamad Adlin.
On June 15, stroke survivor Teoh was making his way across the road when he was hit by a car in the middle of a high-speed chase along Jalan Perak.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Soffian Santong had said the suspect, the driver of the car being pursued by police, was arrested in Batu Uban and found with three packs of a substance believed to be heroin.
Police said the man was believed to have been high on drugs when the chase started from Jalan Datuk Keramat at 6.40am on June 15 after two policemen on patrol spotted him behaving suspiciously at the Jalan P. Ramlee-Jalan Perak traffic light junction.
“The victim was crossing the road on crutches. His body was flung 10m to 15m after being hit by the car.
“The suspect continued speeding and even ran over the body,” said ACP Soffian.
During the chase, police managed to corner the vehicle in Jalan Batu Uban Dua and instructed the driver to surrender but he tried to run over one of the policemen.
Police then fired two shots at the fleeing car, hitting the rear tyre and the front of the vehicle before apprehending the suspect.-The Star