PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has reinstated the death penalty imposed by the High Court on a former police corporal for murdering his two-year-old stepdaughter, Hanis Amanda Mohd Zafil, nine years ago.
The decision was made by a three-judge panel consisting of Justices Datuk Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal, Datuk Nordin Hassan, and Datuk Hanipah Farikullah last Tuesday (Aug 27) when they allowed the prosecution’s appeal to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision.
On June 8 last year, the appellate court reduced Muhammad Khairuanuar Baharuddin’s conviction from murder to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Muhammad Khairuanuar was charged with murdering Hanis Amanda in a condominium unit in Section 5, Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur between 7 am and 7.30 pm on Nov 6, 2015.
He was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to death by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in March 2021.
Deputy public prosecutor Iznina Hanim Hashim represented the prosecution, while lawyer Fahri Azzat represented Muhammad Khairuanuar. Both confirmed the Federal Court’s decision when contacted.
According to Iznina, Justice Harmindar held that the High Court was correct in ruling that the prosecution had proven the murder case beyond reasonable doubt.
On the same day (Aug 27), the Federal Court dismissed a cross-appeal by Muhammad Khairuanuar for an acquittal.
Meanwhile, Fahri, told Bernama that if the Court of Appeal’s decision (10 years imprisonment) was upheld, Muhammad Khairuanuar would be released from prison on Sept 9 this year, taking into account the one-third remission.
During the trial, the High Court heard that Hanis’ biological father and stepmother discovered bruises on her body sometime in November 2015.
Hanis’ father testified that the child had complained of pain and told him that it was “Papa Bi” who caused the bruises. According to him “Papa Bi” mentioned by his child referred to Khairuanuar.
The child’s parents divorced in 2013. Hanis’ mother subsequently married Muhammad Khairuanuar, while her father remarried another woman.
