A Nigerian man was sentenced to death for throwing his step-grandson from a third-floor apartment, alongside convictions for other violent crimes.
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here sentenced a Nigerian man to death today for murdering his four-year-old step-grandson six years ago.
Judge K. Muniandy found 48-year-old unemployed Ibekwe Emeka Augustine guilty of throwing the child from the third floor of a Setapak apartment.
Augustine was convicted under Section 302 of the Penal Code for the murder, which occurred between 7.45am and 8.15am on November 29, 2020.
The court also found him guilty on four additional charges related to the same incident.
These included the attempted murder of his biological son, causing grievous harm to his wife, attempted suicide, and sexually assaulting his stepdaughter.
For these four charges, Judge Muniandy ordered Augustine to serve a concurrent 14-year prison sentence starting from his arrest date.
In his decision, the judge described the accused’s actions as “inhuman and despicable”.
He noted the crimes were committed within a single day and continued even after Augustine grievously injured his wife when she tried to intervene.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Zaileen Nadia Zubir urged the court to impose the maximum penalty.
She argued the crimes were “self-induced” due to prolonged drug use and involved four victims.
The prosecutor revealed the child was dangled by his leg before being thrown from the window, an act witnessed by his mother.
Augustine also jumped onto his wife, causing serious injuries including a fractured hip.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Zulkifli Awang requested life imprisonment, citing his client was a first-time offender who showed remorse.
A total of 22 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses testified during the trial.
