KUALA LUMPUR: A freelance pastor has been charged in the Magistrate's Court with murdering his elderly mother and storing her body in a freezer.
However, no plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The accused, Deanesh Narayanan Nair, 53, was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair.
Deanesh said he understood the charge when it was read to him before Magistrate Atiqah Mohamed @ Mohamad Saim.
He is accused of murdering his mother, Catherine Daniel, 77, at a house in Taman OUG between March 21 and 26, 2021.
The charge is framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or up to 40 years in prison and no less than 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction.
The court set Feb 7 for the next mention and for the submission of the post-mortem, medical, and DNA reports.
Earlier, Deanesh, clad in a white collared T-shirt and light green three-quarter shorts, arrived at the court complex under heavy police presence.
He appeared to have mobility issues, walking slowly into the building and taking a short break at a staircase before being led into the court lock-up area.