[ad_1]
JOHOR BARU: Three unemployed men escaped from the gallows after the Supreme Court found them innocent of the murder of a businessman at a gas station about three years ago.
Gan Jia Ji, 22, Yip Kah Hou, 26, and Woon Kian Hui, 25, walked away from the courtroom as free men after the court ruled that the prosecution was unable to prove a prima facie case in her against.
According to the charge sheet, Gan and five other suspects who are still at large allegedly murdered Tan Aik Chai, 44, at a gas station along Jalan Sri Pelangi in Taman Pelangi here around 7:30 p.m. on 17 December 2017.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
Meanwhile, Yip and Woon were accused of being complicit in the murder along with two other suspects who are still at large.
Both were charged under article 302 of the Penal Code read in conjunction with article 109 and article 34 of the same law, which carries a mandatory death sentence upon being found guilty.
In giving her decision, Judicial Commissioner Dr. Shahnaz Sulaiman said the prosecution was unable to prove a prima facie case against the three defendants.
He added that witnesses at the gas station could not identify the defendant while the closed circuit camera (CCTV) images were blurred.
“The prosecution also failed to link the white BMW car to the murder,” he said before acquitting and firing the three.
Deputy Prosecutor Suriyani Ujang prosecuted the case, while attorneys Datin Freda Sabapathy, Che Azlin Farahanis Evani, B. Veeranesh, Chuah Shyue Chien, Ramkarpal Singh and Harashaan Zamani represented Gan, Yip and Woon respectively.
[ad_2]
