The High Court in Johor Baru, Malaysia sentenced former...

The High Court in Johor Baru, Malaysia sentenced former security guard Mohd Abbas Danus Baksan, 47, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering 10-year-old Nurul Huda Gani on Jan. 17 this year.
Mohd Abbas, who on Jan 26 was convicted by the Sessions Court here of raping Nurul Huda and sentenced to the maximum 20 years jail and 24 strokes of the rotan, did not show any emotion when the death sentenced was passed and translated to him into Tamil by a court interpreter.
Mohd Abbas from Bidor, Perak, was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death sentence, for murdering the Year Four student at a Tenaga Nasional guardhouse at Kampung Pekajang in Tanjung Kupang, near here between 9.20am and 1pm.
Judicial Commissioner K.P Gengadharan in finding the accussed guilty said Mohd Abbas who chose to make his defence statement from the witness stand had tried to tailor his defence.
"But the end result of the statement was a mere denial not supported by any evidence," he said of the accused's denial that he did not strangle the deceased but blamed it on two other men.
In his statement, Mohd Abbas said the two men were Suyaimi Mohd Zain or "Ngengel" and another, "Jojo". vIn passing sentence, Gengadharan said, "I am satisfied that the accused had failed to raise a reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case.
"I hereby find him guilty and convict him as charged...the only sentence that I am allowed to pass is the death sentence. I direct the accused to be hanged by the neck till his death."
Defence counsel, Haniff Hassan who was appointed by the court, said that with the death sentence Mohd Abbas would automatically be entitled to appeal but without involving him as defence counsel. vDeputy Public Prosecutor Abdul Rasid Sudin submitted earlier that the death sentence was the only appropriate sentence for the accused who had nine previous convictions, including raping Nurul Huda, house-breaking and armed robberies.
During the 21-day trial, 26 witnesses were called to testify and 29 exhibits were tendered in court.