Man gets nine years' jail for death of school van driver

KLANG: It was an emotional situation at the public gallery of a Sessions Court here today when a man knelt down at his mother's feet and begged for forgiveness after he was sentenced to nine years' jail for the death of a school van driver last year.
Mohd Fifi Md Yousoff, 31, was also seen breaking down in tears and crying unashamedly while hugging his wife, as well as other family members and relatives present.
Judge Suzana Hussin sentenced Mohd Fifi to nine years' jail, to be served from today, after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of causing the death of Mohammad Izhharuddin Nordin, 24, at Jalan Sungai Udang here at about 6.40pm on Feb 3 last year.
The charge, under Section 304 (b) of the Penal Code for causing death, but without any intention to cause the death, provides an imprisonment for up to 10 years, or with fine, or with both, upon conviction.
He was initially charged under Section 304 (a) of the Penal Code for committing an act which the death is caused is done with intention of causing death, whereby he could be imprisoned to up to 20 years and shall also be liable to fine, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, Mohd Fifi was sending his 11-year-old niece home on a motorcycle when a school van, which was supposed to send the girl home from school, passed by.
The girl had told her uncle that she had to walk from school because the school van left her.
Mohd Fifi then went after the van and forced Mohammad Izhharuddin, who was at the wheel, to stop by the roadside.
When the van stopped, Mohd Fifi went to the driver's side and questioned Mohammad Izhharuddin for leaving his niece before punching him on the face and head several times.
After Mohd Fifi left, a witness approached the van to see Mohammad Izhharuddin and found him shaking and speechless.
The witness then contacted the police and checks by a medical team which arrived in an ambulance at the scene found Mohammad Izhharuddin dead.
A postmortem report revealed that he died due to subarachnoid haemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the neck.
During mitigation, lawyer Abdul Halem Mohamad Husin, representing Mohad Fifi, said his client was a first offender.
The victim's mother, Haliza Ahmad, 49, in the victim impact statement, told the court that Mohammad Izhharuddin's death had huge impact on the family, emotionally and financially, as he helped alot in the family business.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Fatimah Yahya prosecuted. — Bernama