A section of the public outside the court.
MIRI: The High Court will resume on Monday (March 13) the trial of four persons including one with the title Datuk, accused of murdering social activist Bill Kayong at the traffic light intersection near E-Mart Supermarket in Kuala Baram Bypass around 8.20am on June 21, 2016.
All four accused were ordered to be further detained at the Miri Prision until the case is disposed.
Judge Ravinthran N Paramaguru made the ruling after counsel David Kuok who represents the third accused Chin Wui Chung, was absent because he was attending to urgent official matters in Sibu.
“We don’t look into practices but guided by the principle in criminal trial when there is more than one accused they must be represented separately.
“As they are tried for their life and there is only one punishment – death penalty.
“Thus the accused must be represented at all times during the trial by their respective counsels for a fair trial and not by other counsel,” he said.
Earlier before the court proceeding started, lawyer Arthur Lee who represented the second accused Lie Chang Loon said he would also be representing Chin in the trial as Kuok could not be present.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Fuad Abdul Aziz will call four witnesses on Monday to testify against Mohamad Fitri Pauzi, of Dawai1 Road, Pujut 4D, who is charged together with four others (one still at large) with the murder of Bill on June 21, 2016.
The other three accused, Lie Chang Loon, 38 from Pin Fook Garden; Datuk Stephen Lee Chee Kiang, 46 of Woodhouse Road and Chin Wui Chung, 51 of Lane 5 Krokop are charged with abetting Mohd Fitri, an offence punishable under Section 109 read together with Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
The counsels representing them are Ranbir Singh, Orlando Chua, Arthur Lee and David Kuok. Simon Siah and Majen Panyog are holding watching brief for the victim’s family.
Meanwhile several members of the public attending the trial when met by The Borneo Post expressed hope for a fair trial without any further postponement in order to save time and cost for all concerned.