LAHAD DATU: Two plantation workers were each sentenced to 15 years’ jail by the Sessions Court here on Wednesday for homicide not amounting to murder of fellow workers in two separate cases in 2013.
In the first case, Dudoy Lidama, 26, was sentenced to 15 years’ jail by Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of one Thomas Dominikus, 46, at their quarters in Sahabat 30, Felda Sahabat, at about 8.00 pm on October 26, 2013.
Prosecuting officer, Inspector Josephine AK Seliman, related to the court that before the incident occurred, the accused, the victim and a friend, Juju Sande, were reportedly drunk from consuming alcohol after a drinking session at their house. Juju was said to have home before the incident occurred.
At about 8.00 pm, while chatting with each other, the accused, Dudoy, and the victim, Thomas, started arguing and blaming one another for the lack of rice stock in their house.
Dudoy then requested Thomas to ask for rice from their employer, but the latter refused and instead accused Dudoy of causing the depletion of the rice stock since staying there with him.
The duo began fighting at the verandah with the victim, Thomas, punching the accused, Dudoy, and causing him to fall to the ground.
Thomas later went into his bedroom to take out a weapon while the accused, Dudoy, took a clothesline wire and went after Thomas.
Thomas did not manage to reach his room and instead ran towards the kitchen but Dudoy cornered and punched Thomas and as he fell wrapped the clothesline wire around Thomas’ neck and strangled him to death. The accused, Dudoy, later surrendered himself to the Cenderawasih Police Station.
In the second case, Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan, sent Filipino, Marlon Nabaris, 28, to jail for 15 years for causing the death of Behelio at the staff quarters of a plantation at Jalan Permai, on August 1, 2013.
Inspector Josephine told the court that the accused, Marlon, was arrested at about 1.15 am on August 2, last year after a police personnel received information that a plantation worker was killed and that his body was being brought to his house for a funeral.
Police investigation revealed that both the victim and the accused had attended a birthday party at the plantation. The victim, who was reportedly drunk at the time, had begun disturbing the children and was accordingly rebuked by the accused. In retaliation, the victim then slapped the accused.
Seeing that the victim was drunk, the accused offered to take him home. However, while on the way, the victim attacked the accused and in the ensuing melee, the accused reportedly stabbed the victim to his death. Their colleagues later found out about the incident decided to bath the victim in the river and put the body in a coffin for funeral.
Following a post-mortem, a doctor found 18 stab wounds on the victim’s body and the cause of death of the victim was attributed to five stab wounds to the chest which severely wounded his lung, heart, and respiratory tract.
The judge ordered both accused to serve their respective sentences from the date of their arrest and to be thereafter referred to the Immigration Department for deportation to their country of origin.