SHAH ALAM: A woman whose only son was murdered by two foreigners in 2018 entered a heartfelt plea for utmost justice at the decision day for the case in High Court, here, today.
Norlizawati Dani, 57, who entered the courtroom during mitigation after two men — one from Myanmar and the other from India — were found guilty of causing the death of 27-year-old Aiman Nosri, pleaded for the court to send the two men to the gallows.
Norzilawati, whose voice was shaking as she held back tears while reading out the oath this morning, took about 15 minutes making her plea from the witness stand.
"I am the mother of Aiman, whom he called 'Umi'. I carried him for nine months, and gave birth to him on May 22, 1991, at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
"I cared for him and educated him until he graduated with a diploma. Even when he already had a job, he stayed with me and took me wherever I wanted to go. Since he was a child... he had always told me 'Aiman will take care of Umi. I will always be with Umi'.
"Aiman was my only son who was my hope to take care of me in my old days. Anyone who knew him, knew he would not hurt anyone or even raise his voice.
"What did Aiman do to you, that you had to end his life so viciously? Why was he taken away from me so brutally? I had never hit or hurt him; how could you do that to my son?
"My world shattered when I found out that my Aiman was no longer in this world. Did I fail as a mother to protect him? His death changed my family's lives, especially mine. I am crushed beyond words and feel strong pain, so much so that I cannot comprehend what happened," she said, in between tears.
Norlizawati said her son's death had traumatised her, to the point she could not even hear his name being spoken anymore.
The courtroom was in absolute silence as she spoke, silent tears rolling down the cheeks of family members in the gallery.
Both the accused, Myanmar citizen Sua Lay and Indian national Gurpreet Singh, seemed too ashamed to look at Norzilawati, their gaze all the while pointed downwards as interpreters translated her plea.
The grieving mother then ended her plea by saying that she would never forgive both the accused for the murder, and hoped for the court to serve justice for her son.
"Death can only be repaid with death," she said.
Judicial commissioner Nurulhuda Nur'aini Mohamad Nor, who had earlier found the accused guilty of killing Aiman, then sentenced them to death.
The duo had been charged with murdering Aiman at a parking lot located in Selayang Baru, Batu Caves on June 21, 2018, at 10.08pm. Their charges were framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Nurulhuda, in reading out her decision, found the defence entered by both accused inconsistent and that they did not challenge material evidence — the presence of their DNA found on the driver's seatbelt in the car as well as car key which was discovered when shown by Sua Lay to the police during investigation.
"The absence of clear evidence as highlighted when the court called for defence makes this court scrutinise the evidence given by the accused... somebody must have driven the car, to where it was found in Selayang Baru.
"And the evidence testified to by a pathologist found some injuries on the deceased's neck. With the evidence found on the seatbelt of the driver, the accused are found to have strangled the deceased."
Lawyers Siti Anis Che Ab Wahab and Muhamad Amirul Jamaluddin, who represented the first and second accused, pleaded for the court to use its discretion during sentencing mitigation.
Siti Anis said Sua Lay is a United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) card holder, who is also married with three kids, pleading for the court to use its discretion to hand down a sentence of 30 years' imprisonment and 12 lashes for reasons that the murder was not a brutal one.
Amirul seconded Siti Anis' plea, saying that there was no eyewitness or direct evidence to prove injuries found on the deceased was from use of weapons.
This was rebutted by deputy public prosecutor Mohammed Heikal Ismail who submitted that people who indulge in such crimes were savages who deserved no mercy as they did not show mercy to their victim.