29-4-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) A man who was found guilty of killing his friend and cohabiting with the corpse for an unfathomable four days had his death sentence commuted to 30 years in jail by the Court of Appeal. The decision was announced on Monday (April 30) in Teluk Intan, Perak.
The three-man panel, led by Judge Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail, also ruled that the perpetrator, Mohd Azhud Ibrahim, 33, should receive 12 strokes of the cane.
The panel, which included Justices Datuk Azmi Ariffin and Datuk S.M. Komathy Suppiah, denied Mohd Azhud’s appeal to overturn his conviction but altered the original death sentence to 30 years in prison with the additional punishment of 12 strokes of the cane.
Justice Hadhariah, in affirming Mohd Azhud’s conviction for the murder offense, emphasized that the circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly pointed to the accused as the perpetrator of Ahmad Azam Ahmad’s murder.
Mohd Azhud had lodged an appeal against the February 21, 2023 decision of the Ipoh High Court, which had sentenced him to death after finding him guilty of killing Ahmad Azam, 43, at a residence in Lorong Mohd Ali Kampung Bahagia, Teluk Intan, Perak. The incident occurred at 12:10 a.m. on August 10, 2018.
According to the case details, a friend of Mohd Azhud, who visited the house, detected a putrid odor emanating from within. Upon questioning Mohd Azhud about the foul smell, he confessed that there was a deceased person present. The friend quoted Mohd Azhud as saying, “I have been angry with him for a long time. I am upset.”
During his testimony from the dock, Mohd Azhud claimed that he had no intention of murdering his friend, asserting that both individuals had engaged in a physical altercation. He alleged that he struck his friend in self-defense, as his friend had exhibited aggressive behavior at the time.
Mohd Azhud further stated that after the altercation, he consumed cannabis and slept for two days. Upon awakening, he discovered that the deceased was lying lifeless on the floor, showing no signs of breathing. He admitted that he had contemplated digging a hole in his backyard to bury Ahmad Azam’s body but ultimately could not bring himself to do so, leading him to the macabre decision of cohabiting with the corpse.
The post-mortem report revealed that the victim had sustained 23 external injuries, with severe trauma to the head and chest.
In court, Mohd Azhud was represented by lawyers Gurbachan Singh, Gobindeep Singh, and Aashwini Rajan, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Zaki Ashraf Zubir appeared on behalf of the prosecution.
