A Malaysian High Court in Kuala Lumpur has sentenced a Nigerian man, Ibekwe Emeka Augustine, 48, to death by hanging for murdering his four-year-old step-grandson five years ago.
Justice K. Muniandy handed down the verdict on Thursday after considering the evidence presented during the trial, according to reports by Malaysian media.
The court found Augustine guilty of causing the child’s death by throwing him from the third floor of an apartment in Setapak between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. on November 29, 2020.
He was convicted under Section 302 of the Malaysian Penal Code, which mandates either the death penalty or, alternatively, imprisonment of 30 to 40 years accompanied by a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.
In addition to the murder conviction, Augustine received a five-year jail term for four other offences committed on the same day, to run concurrently with the death sentence.
The charges included attempted murder of his seven-year-old biological son, causing grievous harm to his wife, attempting suicide, and sexually assaulting his stepdaughter.
The attempted murder charge against his son was filed under Section 307 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine.