IPOH: The trial of a senior police officer charged with the murder of a Form Five student in a fatal hit-and-run incident has been postponed until tomorrow due to a change in the defence team.
High Court Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gucharan Singh Preet allowed the postponement after the change was announced on the first day of proceedings today.
Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, 44, who holds the rank of deputy superintendent of police (DSP), is accused of causing the death of 17-year-old Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie near Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Jati between 12.05 pm and 12.40 pm on Dec 15 last year.
The charge framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, provides for the death penalty or a minimum of 30 years’ imprisonment, with a maximum sentence of 40 years. If the death penalty is not imposed, the accused may also face a minimum of 12 strokes of caning.
The new defence team is led by M. Athimulan, along with Datuk Meor Faridalatrash Wahid and Aiman Hakim Kamaruzaman. Previously, the accused was represented by attorneys Jacky Loi Yap Loong, Lim Chi Chau and M. Kuhan.
Earlier, Athimulan requested an adjournment until tomorrow, explaining that the defence team needed time to review the testimonies of 30 witnesses in the case. The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Afzainizam Abdul Aziz, did not oppose the request.
The prosecution team also included DPP Nasrul Hadi Abdul Ghani, V. Suloshani, and Low Qin Hui. Present in court was watching brief lawyer Datuk Wan Azmir Wan Majid, representing the victim’s family.
On Sept 5, Judge Bhupindar Singh denied Mohd Nazri’s bail application for temporary release while awaiting trial, citing reasonable grounds to believe that an offence under Section 302 of the Penal Code had occurred.
The court determined that there were no special or exceptional circumstances to justify granting bail to the accused.
