Bill’s relatives and friends gather outside the courthouse after the judgment.
KUCHING: The Court of Appeal here yesterday upheld the acquittal of Datuk Stephen Lee Chee Kiang and two other men charged with abetting the murder of land activist Bill Kayong last year.
Judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, who chaired a three-man panel, said the appeal by the prosecutor against Lee, 47, Lie Chang Loon, 39, and Chin Wui Ching, 52, had no merit.
Among others, the court ruled that there was no connection to link the trio to the murder.
On June 5 last year, all three men were discharged and acquitted by the Miri High Court without their defence being called.
However, the main suspect Mohamad Fitri Pauzi, 31, was ordered to enter his defence.
Bill was shot dead at a traffic light junction in Kuala Baram, Miri on June 21, 2016.
Lee, Lie and Chin had pleaded not guilty in the High Court to a charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 109 of the same code for abetting in the murder.
All three were present in court during the appeal hearing yesterday.
Meanwhile, in the same court room, the hearing of the prosecutor’s appeal against the acquittal of an Indonesian woman charged with murdering her newborn baby was adjourned to June 26 this year.
Herna Molla, who was acquitted of the charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code, allegedly buried her newborn son – believed to be still alive – at a plantation in Suai on Nov 26, 2014 around 3.30pm.
The offence was allegedly committed with a man – believed to be her boyfriend – who also walked free from the charge after being jointly tried in court.
It is said that the incident took place 48 hours after Herna was discharged from Miri Hospital where she had given birth.
The baby’s report showed that he was healthy while the post-mortem report stated that the cause of death was due to suffocation.
Section 302 of the Penal Code provides a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.