A man’s death sentence for murdering his brother with a shotgun was commuted to 35 years’ imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane by the Federal Court.
KUCHING: A man escaped the death penalty after the Federal Court allowed his final appeal against a murder conviction.
The three-judge panel commuted Ringgie Ampas’s sentence to 35 years’ imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane.
His imprisonment is effective from his arrest date on May 21, 2017.
The court heard that Ringgie had shot and killed his brother Entili at a longhouse in Sibu in 2017.
The shooting followed an altercation where Ringgie attempted to prevent the victim from assaulting his daughter.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Amril Johari did not oppose the appeal but submitted for a 33-year sentence and 13 strokes.
Defence counsel Louis Jarau Patrick said they had applied for a 30-year prison sentence under the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot from approximately 100 metres.
Ringgie was originally convicted under Section 302 of the Penal Code and sentenced to death by the Sibu High Court.
