malaysiang
IPOH: The trial of a senior police officer charged with the murder of a Form Five student in a hit-and-run incident has been postponed until tomorrow following a change in the defence team. High Court Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gucharan Singh Preet approved the delay after the modification was announced during the initial proceedings today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, 44, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), is accused of causing the death of 17-year-old Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie near Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Jati between 12.05 pm and 12.40 pm on December 15 last year. The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the death penalty or a minimum of 30 years’ imprisonment, with a maximum sentence of 40 years. If the death penalty is not imposed, the accused may also face a minimum of 12 strokes of caning.
The new defence team is led by M. Athimulan, with Datuk Meor Faridalatrash Wahid and Aiman Hakim Kamaruzaman. Previously, the accused was rep
resented by attorneys Jacky Loi Yap Loong, Lim Chi Chau, and M. Kuhan. Athimulan requested an adjournment until tomorrow, citing the need for the defence team to review the testimonies of 30 witnesses. The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Afzainizam Abdul Aziz, did not oppose the request.
The prosecution team also includes DPP Nasrul Hadi Abdul Ghani, V. Suloshani, and Low Qin Hui. Present in court as a watching brief lawyer was Datuk Wan Azmir Wan Majid, representing the victim’s family. On September 5, Judge Bhupindar Singh denied Mohd Nazri’s bail application, citing reasonable grounds to believe an offence under Section 302 of the Penal Code had occurred, and found no special circumstances to justify granting bail.
