Religious teacher to hang for boy’s murder

ALOR STAR: A religious teacher was sentenced to death by hanging today for the murder of a seven-year-old pupil four years ago.
Hanif Mohd Ali, 31, was found guilty of killing Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee in the warden’s office at Asrama Putra, Sekolah Rendah Islam Al-Furqan, in Arau, Perlis between 6 pm and 12 am on March 31, 2011.
Judicial commissioner Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab said the defence failed to cast any reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.
In his judgement, he said Hanif had throttled the boy resulting in cerebral hypoxia that fatally injured him.
Hanif who was also a hostel warden at the religious primary school, was sentenced to 18 years’ jail in March 2012 after pleading guilty to an amended charge, under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, for causing death.
However, the prosecution appealed to the Court of Appeal and succeeded in reinstating the original charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, for murder.
The prosecution was represented by deputy public prosecutor Badius Zaman Ahmad, while Hanif, by counsel Mohd Shakir Khairi.
–BERNAMA