‘Tudung’ strangler to hang for girlfriend’s murder

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court here today upheld the conviction and death sentence imposed by the High Court on a storekeeper who murdered his girlfriend by strangling her with her own "tudung" (headscarf).
A five-man panel, chaired by Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, unanimously dismissed Shahrul Nizam Mohd Shah's final appeal to set aside his conviction and death sentence.
Justice Zulkefli said the court had considered the arguments submitted by both the prosecution and defence and found that Shahrul Nizam's conviction was safe.
He said the prosecution had proven its case against Shahrul Nizam beyond reasonable doubt and thus affirmed the High Court decision which found Shahrul Nizam guilty of having murdered clerk Nurul Hazira Bharum, 26, and sentenced him to death.
Also presiding on the panel with Justice Zulkefli were Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum and Federal Court judges Tan Sri Ahmad Maarop, Datuk Zainun Ali and Tan Sri Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha.
Shahrul Nizam was found guilty by the High Court in Shah Alam on March 22, 2010, of having murdered Nurul Hazira, who was his colleague, after he learnt that she was going to marry another man.
He had committed the offence at his rented house in Kampung Gombak in Kuang, Rawang, between 9am and 10am on Oct 7, 2008.
He lost his appeal at the Court of Appeal on May 9, 2012.
In his defence, Shahrul Nizam told the High Court that he and Nurul Hazira had planned to commit suicide by drinking poison "like Romeo and Juliet" and claimed that Nurul Hazira forced him to drink the poison first and he had passed out.
Shahrul Nizam said that when he woke up, Nurul Hazira was already dead and he ran to a neighbour's house for help.
A post-mortem report revealed that Nurul Hazira died of suffocation due to strangulation and that no poison was found in her body.
Shahrul Nizam was represented by counsel Kitson Foong while deputy public prosecutor Hamdan Hamzah appeared for the prosecution. – Bernama