KUALA LUMPUR: An unemployed man was sentenced to eight years jail by the High Court here after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of causing the death of a bouncer three years ago.
Judge Datuk Azman Husin ordered the accused, Muhammad Saifullah Awang@Ismail, 24, to start his sentence effective from the date he was arrested on July 3, 2012.
Muhammad Saifullah admitted to causing the death of Mohd Nazrie Abu Bakar, then 34, with three others who are still at large beside a railway in Kampung Segambut Gate, Segambut, Sentul here between 8pm on June 23 and 4pm on June 24, 2012.
He was charged under Section 304 (a) of the Penal Code which provides a maximum imprisonment of 30 years and liable to be fined.
The accused was earlier charged for murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
In pleading for leniency, his counsel, Nik Mohamed Ikhwan Nik Mahamud said his client was still young during the incident.
"His involvement in the incident was minimum as the offence was also committed by three others who are still at large, he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Aznika Mohd Anas urged the court to impose a just sentence saying that the punishment should reflect as a lesson to the accused and public.
"Imagine how the deceased's wife and children must be feeling when the victim was found dead at that time," she said.
Based on the case facts, the accused had stabbed the victim on the chest once before throwing the body into a river behind a house at the crime scene.
The body was found wrapped and tied with a rope three days later.
It was confirmed that the victim died due to deep incised wounds on the neck and chest.