Prosecution: E-hailing driver lured to plantation where he was murdered

 

The prosecution in the trial of six police officers and a civilian who are charged with killing an e-hailing driver will adduce to show that the murder took place on Jan 13 last year (2023), where the deceased was lured out of a hotel in Tawau and ordered to drive with others in a car to an oil palm plantation where he was killed.

The trial of the six officers and a civilian who are charged with killing the e-hailing driver early last year, along with former Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) head of intelligence staff Mat Zaki Md Zain who is accused of abetting, started in the Tawau High Court yesterday.

In yesterday's proceedings before High Court judge Duncan Sikodol, the prosecution led by Khairul Azreem Mamat called four witnesses, including oil palm plantation worker Kereiun Elbis, who stated that he was the first person to come across the body of e-hailing driver Nurman Bakaratu, 61, and a car at the Liew Tet Chung Estate, on the morning of Jan 16, last year.

Kereiun also said he showed Corporal Sharifuddin Yusop the way to the location where the body and vehicle were found.

The second witness, the manager of the estate, Liew Tet Chung, told the court that he saw the Myvi in question from a distance when he was sending his worker Kereiun to fertilise the plantation at around 7.30am, but did not approach it.

After returning to the farm, Liew said he saw a body by the side of the vehicle and called his cousin-brother, who then told him to call the police.

He also said a post-mortem on the body of the deceased confirmed that the cause of death was a “sharp force injury to the neck”, while stab and incisional wounds were observed.

Police officers Rosdi Rastam, 45, Denis Anit, 45, Fabian Rungam, 44, Khairul Azman Bakar, 47, Mohd Azlan Sakaran, 40, John Kennedy Sanggah, 44, and a civilian Vivien Fabian, 34, are accused of killing Nurman in an oil palm plantation near Jalan Anjur Juara, Jalan Apas Baru 5, Tawau.

They were accused of committing the act between 7.30pm and 11.30pm on Jan 13 last year and were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34 of the same code, which provides for the death penalty.

Zaki, 59, is facing two charges of conspiring to kill Nurman with the six accused and another with John Kennedy under Section 109 of the Penal Code which is read with Section 302 of the same code.

The prosecution is led by Khairul Azreem who is assisted by Lina Hanini Ismail, Rohaiza Abdul Rahman, Low Qin Hui, and Mohammad Fakhrurrazi Ahmad.

Zaki, Khairul Azman, Mohd Azlan, Vivien, and John Kennedy were represented by lawyers Ram Singh and Kamarudin Mohmad Chinki, while Rosdi was represented by lawyers Ansari Abdullah, Abdul Gani Zalieka, and Erveana Ansari Ali.

Dennis was represented by lawyers Hairul Vaiyron Othman and Luke Ressa Balang, while Fabian was represented by lawyers Sharatha Masyaroh John Ridwan Lincon, Zahbia Ophent, and Mohamed Zairi Zainal Abidin.

The hearing continues today.

Last February, it was reported that Nurman’s murder was motivated by jealousy and did not involve security issues in Sabah.

The wife of the deceased, Nurima Juli, 33, was then charged at the Tawau Magistrate's Court under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

- Bernama