SHAH ALAM - The Klang High Court today sentenced S. Davandrakumar, 33, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s three-year-old son in 2021.
Judge Norliza Othman meted out the sentence after finding the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt at the end of the defence case.
She said no other punishment would be commensurate with the man’s actions.
"The victim was a three-year-old child with a small and thin body. He was brutally beaten by the accused using a pipe, a stick, a belt, and a clothes hanger. The child was also immersed in water before being dragged to a room and beaten until death,” she said.
Davandrakumar was charged with murdering the boy at a house in Taman Sentosa, Klang, between 9.30 am and 5.30 pm on Dec 24, 2021.
The charge was framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment of up to 40 years with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane if not sentenced to death.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Nurul Farah Aqilah Ahmad Fuad, assisted by DPP Maryam Jamielah Ab Manaff, described the crime as heinous, noting that the boy was tortured over three consecutive days.
His head was repeatedly immersed in water until he nearly drowned, and he was choked and bitten until he became motionless, she said, adding that the abuse occurred in front of the boy’s biological mother, who suffered severe trauma.
The prosecution also highlighted Davandrakumar’s prior convictions, including drug offences in 2021 and criminal intimidation under Section 506 of the Penal Code in 2015.
In mitigation, lawyer Zamri Ibrahim stated that his client regretted his actions, promised not to repeat them, and requested a lighter sentence. - BERNAMA