SEBERANG PERAI, Sept 7 — A cow herder, who admitted to two drug offences, was charged with the murder of a 40-year-old woman at the Butterworth Magistrate’s Court here today.
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M. Kirubakaran was charged with the murder of Lee Ling Tee sometime between 3am and 4am on August 28 at the victim’s house in Jalan Permatang Ara, Taman Seruling Emas in Sungai Jawi.
The 29-year-old appeared calm and nodded to indicate he understood the charge when it was read out to him before Magistrate Aziana Azim.
He is charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries a mandatory death sentence upon conviction and is a non-bailable offence.
He was then charged with two counts of administering illicit drugs, methamphetamine and amphetamine, into his system at about 1am on August 29.
He admitted to the two charges under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurameera Shahrul Azrin asked for a mention date to be fixed pending the victim’s pathology and port-mortem reports.
Kirubakaran was arrested on August 29 to assist in investigations into the rape and murder of a woman at her house in Taman Seruling Emas.
According to previous news reports, South Seberang Prai OCPD Supt Lee Chong Chern reportedly said the suspect was believed to have entered the house by climbing over the fence and through a window on the ground floor of the double storey house.
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Lee said the suspect had allegedly consumed syabu, a type of methamphetamine, with a friend before borrowing a motorcycle to go for a ride.
The suspect had allegedly parked the motorcycle on the back lane of the victim’s house before breaking in.
It is believed that he have found the victim asleep in a room on the ground floor of the house
and raped her.
The victim had reportedly put up a fight, which led to him gagging her with her undergarments while he continued raping her.
“We believe that he continued to rape her even after she stopped moving and after that, he dragged her body to the floor and hid it under the bed,” he said.
The suspect then allegedly ransacked the house and made off with a mobile phone, some cash and the victim’s locket.
The suspect left the house around 2pm and returned the motorcycle to his friend and later that evening went into hiding at Changkat Sungai Jawi where he was eventually arrested.
The suspect was believed to have dumped the victim’s belongings into a river before he had gone into hiding.-Malay Mail