Nigerian man sentenced to death in Malaysia for murder of step-grandson

Nigerian man sentenced to death in Malaysia for murder of step-grandson

The Kuala Lumpur High Court in the Malaysian capital on Thursday sentenced a Nigerian national to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering his step-grandson by throwing the four-year-old child from the third floor of an apartment in the city six years ago.

According to Malaysian news outlet Berita Harian, Justice K. Muniandy handed down the sentence to Ibekwe Emeka Augustine, 48, after evaluating the totality of evidence presented before the court.

Augustine was charged with causing the death of his step-grandson at an apartment in Setapak between 7.45 am and 8.15 am on November 29, 2020. The charge was brought under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death sentence or a prison term of between 30 and 40 years with not fewer than 12 strokes of the cane.

In the same trial, Augustine was also sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, to run concurrently, after being convicted on four other charges. These included attempting to murder his biological son, causing grievous hurt to his wife, attempting suicide, and sexually assaulting his stepdaughter at the same location, date and time.

The charge of attempting to murder his seven-year-old biological son was framed under Section 307 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine.

For intentionally causing grievous hurt to his wife, who was 48 at the time, Augustine was charged under Section 325 read together with Section 326A of the Penal Code, an offence punishable with up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine