KUALA LUMPUR: Four men were charged at the Magistrate's court today with the murder of retired IT director of the Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) Datuk Dr Wan Hassan Wan Embong.
Wan Hassan was killed at his residence in Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, here, more than a week ago when armed men broke into his house.
Security guard S.Vickeswaran, 22, despatch rider P. Kogilan, 23, electrician M. Ravindran, 23, and unemployed T. Sugu, 27, whose hands were chained together nodded their heads as a sign they understood the charge read to them before magistrate Wong Chai Sia.
However, no plea was recorded.
The four were accused of committing murder of the 73-year old at his house in Jalan Mambu Bukit Bandaraya between 3.35am and 4am on Nov 29.
The offence under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries a mandatory death sentence.
No bail was allowed to all the accused and their case will come up for mention on March 9, next year.
It was reported that Wan Hassan had fought off two robbers upon discovering they had broken into his double-storey bungalow.
The incident happened at about 3.30am where two men armed with machetes entered the house through the kitchen.
When confronted, the robbers demanded Wan Hassan and his wife to handover their valuables but the deceased allegedly tried to fight them off, resulting in his death.
Wan Hassan was slashed on his face and neck. The robbers fled with the loot after slashing his wife, Sarifah Yusof on her right shoulder.
Meanwhile, at the Sessions Court, the four pleaded not guilty to committing gang robbery while wielding a parang and hammer at the home of one Mohd Muzaffar Martin in Taman Tiara, here, between 4.12am and 5.30am, the same day.
They were alleged to have robbed the 33-year old engineer which involved losses of around RM38,000.
Judge Izralizam Sanusi did not allow bail to all the accused and fixed the same day for mention.
Deputy public prosecutors Wan Hakimi Wan Ahmad Jaafar and Muhammad Aiman Azahan prosecuted.
All the accused were unrepresented.
After the proceedings, Sugu's mother was seen wailing outside the courtroom saying that her son could not have committed such an offence.
"He is a good person. He is the only son who takes good care of me," she said crying.