KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here sentenced a former private schoolteacher from Johor to death by hanging for drug trafficking.
Judge Datuk Nurchaya Arshad sentenced Suhaila Abdullah, 44, to death after finding her guilty under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Suhaila, who was dressed in a baju kurung, appeared calm in the dock but broke down in tears as she was whisked away from the court.
On May 27, 2013, Suhaila was arrested at Terminal Two of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport and charged under Section 39B.
The charge was amended on March 17, 2015 for a more lenient sentence of 14 years of jail, and she pleaded “guilty” to possession of drugs at the Court of Appeal.
The prosecution, however, rejected the Appeals Court’s decision and the case was redirected to the High Court.
Her counsel, Datuk Seri Rakhbir Singh, when met outside the court, said they will continue to appeal for a lenient sentence.
Deputy public prosecutor Gan Peng Kun prosecuted.