KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here yesterday was told that the three navy personnel, who faced a charge of causing the death of their colleague, Able Seaman 1 Asrup Raidin, were said to have collaborated with some other personnel to prepare a banner purportedly to welcome his arrival to the base.
Muhamad Hifsyan Wahab, 30, who testified before judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamed, said that Lieutenant Madya Muhammad Zahiruddin Nordin (first accused), 26, had given him instruction to paint on the banner the wordings “Kedatanganmu amat kami nantikan BK PAP Asrup”.
“The paint, marker pen and pencil were obtained from Able Rating Mohd Hood Mah Hasib (second accused), 26, and it took us around two to three days to complete the banner,” the fourth witness testified under examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor, Aida Jaafar Mad Ariff.
To a question by Aida, the witness said that he did the painting of the wordings on the banner together with his workmate, Izzuan, and after they have completed it, the banner was given to the second accused.
“I came to know about the preparation of the banner for the deceased from our friends, who said that it was the idea of the second accused, while on the painting the wordings on the banner, I am not sure whose idea it was but I based it on the wordings contained in the cellphone of the 25-year-old Able Rating Muhammad Fadli Zaini (third accused),” the witness explained.
The witness also testified that some parts of the wordings and the illustration on the banner were based on what he saw on the third accused’s cellphone.
“The banner contained a drawing of a skeleton as depicted in the third accused’s cellphone. There was also the word “UBI” on it, which is the other name for the uniform station and other wordings as per the first accused’s instruction,” he said.
To another question by Aida, the witness said that the white bed sheet used as the banner was given by the personnel at the station, however, he was not sure who the personnel were.
The accused persons were jointly charged under Section 304 (a) of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 30 years and a fine, upon conviction.
The three accused persons, hailing from Selangor, Johor and Malacca, respectively, were charged with having committed culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Tenom-born Asrup, 28, at the lagoon area of the navy uniform station (Pulau Terumbu Ubi) in South China Sea (Spratly Islands) at 7.36 pm on December 3, 2013.
To another question by Aida, the witness explained that the use of the word BK, which stands for Bintara Kanan (Chief Petty Officer), that was written on the banner was on the instruction of the first accused.
“However, at that time, the rank of the deceased was Able Seaman 1,” said the witness.
Muhammad Zahirudin, Muhammad Hood and Muhammad Fadli are currently released on RM10,000 bail deposited with RM5,000 in one local surety, pending the disposal of their case.
Counsels Ram Singh, Timothy Daut and YS Lo represented all three accused while counsels P.J Perira and Ariel Dasan are holding a watching brief for the deceased’s family.
The trial continues today.