Youth jailed 18 years for causing intentionally death of 14-year-old girl

ALOR STAR: A youth was sentenced to 18 years jail by the High Court here today for intentionally causing the death of a 14-year-old girl at an abandoned padi field two years ago.
Judicial Commissioner Dr Choo Ka Sing handed down the punishment to Mohd Firdaus Mohd Faridul, 20, who had pleaded guilty on March 26 to an alternative charge of causing death under Section 304 (a) of the Penal Code.
He had previously been charged with murder, which carries the mandatory death sentence, if convicted.
He was charged with causing the death of Noor Syafikah Nadia Rusdi, 14, at the abandoned padi field in Kampung Alor Senibong, Mukim Tajar, here between 9.30pm and 11.30pm on Nov 29, 2013.
Choo ordered Mohd Firdaus to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Jan 15, 2014.
In his judgment, Choo said Noor Syafikah Nadia suffocated when the accused intentionally submerged her head in muddy water at the abandoned padi field.
"The victim did not die instantly, she was trying to find some strength to breath while she was drowning in the mud," he said, adding that the accused should repent and start a new life after he had served the punishment.
The prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutor Salim Soib while the accused was represented by Burhanudeen Abd Wahid.
The body of Noor Syafikah Nadia was found in the padi field in Alor Senibong at 3.45 pm on Nov 30, 2013, after she was reported missing along with her two sisters, Nur Izzati Husna Rusdi, 12, and Puteri Nurul Akma Rusdi, three, a day earlier.
The bodies of the two other girls were found at about 4pm on Dec 1 by a river in Kampung Padang Tani, Langgar, about 3.5km from where the other body was recovered. – Bernama