Court of Appeal upholds unemployed man's murder conviction, death sentence

A three-member bench comprising Justices Datuk Hanipah Farikullah, Datuk Wira Ahmad Nasfy Yasin and Datuk Nordin Hassan dismissed B. Rames's appeal.

In their decision, Justice Hanipah said the prosecution had proven all the elements in the charge against Rames and the defence failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case.

She said Rames's conviction is safe and that there is no merit in his appeal.

Rames, 47, was sentenced to death by the Johor Bahru High Court on Oct 29, 2018, after he was found guilty of killing Mohd Harris Saravanan Abdullah, 36, between 4 pm on March 9, 2015, and 10 am the next day.

According to the charge sheet, Rames committed the offence with four other persons who are still at large at an oil palm plantation in Kampung Melayu Seelong Selatan, Jalan Seelong-Ulu Tiram, Senai, Kulaijaya district, Johor.

The facts of the case revealed that the deceased and his brother-in-law went to the oil palm plantation to take drug supplies.

The deceased's brother-in-law saw Rames arguing with the deceased and also saw him (Rames) taking a machete and slashing the deceased on his stomach and hand.

Another prosecution witness, a drug addict, who was at the scene saw the appellant (Rames) strangle the deceased with a string and then wrapped his body and his personal belongings in a canvas and air mattress before putting it in a wheelbarrow.

Rames then instructed four persons to push the wheelbarrow out of the scene of the crime.

Rames has one more chance to appeal, and that is to the Federal Court.

He is represented by lawyer Datuk Rajpal Singh while deputy public prosecutor Mohd Khushairy Ibrahim appeared for the prosecution.