Mat Yazid Mat Akil, a 67-year-old school security guard ,was sentenced to death

Mat Yazid Mat Akil, a 67-year-old school security guard ,was sentenced to death by the Malaysian High Court for murdering his girlfriend and concealing her body in the school's septic tank. Justice Datuk Sulaiman Daud found Mat Yazid guilty of murdering Zaidah Che Wil, 34, at the guardhouse of Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Puteh on November 29, 2002. He said the court accepted the prosecution's submission that Zaidah's death could be linked to Mat Yazid who had admitted that he stuffed her body into a gunny sack before concealing it in the school's septic tank. "The pathologist's evidence is also consistent with the accused's cautioned statement where he admitted pulling Zaidah from behind until she fell and hit her head on the door before collapsing. "The accused also admitted holding Zaidah's headscarf and pulling it tight to stop her from screaming and only letting go after she was motionless for about five minutes," Sulaiman said. Sulaiman said the court accepted Mat Yazid's cautioned statement that he had strangled Zaidah and the defence counsel had not cast a reasonable doubt on the prosecution's case. "I find that the accused is not ignorant because he knew how to feel the pulse. The strangling was done with intention to cause death because he knew that it was a dangerous act and could cause death. "If he had only wanted to stop the victim from screaming, he would have closed her mouth, not strangled her. Disposing of the body in the septic tank further strengthens the finding that there was intention," he said.