JOHOR BAHRU, April 29 — A 42-year-old former dental prosthetist was sentenced to 35 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane by the High Court here today for killing his girlfriend about seven years ago.

Judge Atan Mustaffa Yussof Ahmad handed down the sentence to the accused Lim Siong Kim after finding that the defence had failed to raise any reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.

The court ordered for the accused’s prison sentence, imposed at the end of the defence case, to run from the date the accused was arrested, which was June 10, 2019.

In his judgment, the Atan Mustaffa said the accused was the last person seen with the victim, where her deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was also found in the accused’s denture workshop.

He said there was also a testimony from Lim’s friend who confirmed that he had helped the accused dispose of the box containing the victim’s body in Taman Setia Indah.

The accused himself had also guided authorities to the location where the box was dumped.

Based on the charge sheet, Lim is charged with the murder of 33-year-old Teo Kang Ling at No. 17-01, Jalan Setia Indah here at about 8am on June 3, 2019.

For the act, the accused was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Lydia Salleh, while the accused was represented by counsels G. Ravi, Aida Hassan, Datin Freda Sabapathy and S. Saravanan.

Throughout the proceeding, a total of 12 prosecution witnesses were presented, while the defence presented two witnesses during their proceedings.

Based on the prosecution’s facts, the victim’s cause of death was from drowning due to obstruction of the respiratory tract.

On June 11, 2019, it was reported that a box containing a dead female body was found by the side of a road in the Taman Setia Indah industrial area here.

The discovery later led authorities to the case involving the disappearance of the woman involved, who was last contacted on May 29, 2019.

The woman, described as the accused’s girlfriend, was said to have been killed elsewhere, before her body was placed inside the box and kept.

However, when the victim’s body started to decompose and emitted a strong stench, the accused approached his friend to help him dump the box containing his lover’s remains.

Lim was then charged at the Magistrate’s Court here, on June 23, 2019 on charges of murder before the case was transferred to the High Court here for trial.

JOHOR BAHRU, April 29 — Johor police said they are ruling out criminal elements or the involvement of another party in the shooting incident involving former Johor Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) associate chief Datuk Tan Lek Khang yesterday.

Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the 40-year-old politician was reportedly injured after his firearm accidentally discharged after training at the Ladang REM shooting range in Kota Tinggi yesterday.

“Initial investigations revealed that the incident did not involve any other party and was believed to have been caused by negligence when handling the firearm.

“Based on witness statements at the scene, the incident is believed to have occurred when the victim was cleaning his firearm after completing a shooting practice session.

“Investigators have ruled out criminal elements or the involvement of another negligent party in the incident,” he told reporters during a media conference at the Johor police contingent headquarters here today.

Ab Rahaman said a total of nine witnesses, including the victim’s 19-year-old stepson, a trainer, five bodyguards and two of the victim’s friends were quizzed by investigators.

“However, the actual cause of the incident on how the victim’s firearm was accidentally discharged is still under probe.

“This will involve a more detailed investigation that will also include a ballistics report,” he said, adding that police will also look at compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) for safety when conducting training involving firearms.

Ab Rahaman said the victim had a valid firearms license and permit for his guns.

He said police have also seized two Sig Sauer pistols, bullet casings and ammunition used by the victim to assist in investigations.

Ab Rahaman said the victim is currently recovering at the Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) here after surgery last night to remove a bullet lodged in the left side of his chest.

He added that the victim is reported to be in stable condition.

Police are investigating the case under Section 37 of the Arms Act 1960 for causing injury with a firearm without lawful excuse and Section 337 of the Penal Code for causing injury by an act that endangers the life or safety of others.

Yesterday, it was reported that Tan was injured after he accidentally shot himself at the shooting range in Kota Tinggi at 3.30pm.

Popularly known as Datuk TLK, he has recently gained recognition in Johor for his charity work under Skuad TLK, which assists the needy and less fortunate.

He made headlines on February 13 after announcing his resignation from Bersatu following a loss of confidence in Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s leadership.

Tan was also a state candidate representing Perikatan Nasional (PN) for the Bekok constituency in the 2022 Johor state election.

JOHOR BAHRU, April 28 — Former Johor Bersatu associate chief Datuk Tan Lek Khang sustained an injury to his chest after accidentally discharging a firearm at a shooting range in Kota Tinggi today.

The 41-year-old, popularly known as Datuk TLK, is receiving treatment at Sultan Ismail Hospital here, his close friend Yeo Kwee Kwang said.

Yeo said the incident happened around 3pm during a training session at the shooting range.

“I will accompany several other friends to visit him later,” he said when contacted.

Kota Tinggi police chief Superintendent Yusof Othman is expected to issue a media statement on the incident later.

Tan is known in Johor for his charitable work under the non-governmental organisation Skuad TLK.

He made headlines on February 13 after announcing his resignation from Bersatu following the loss of confidence in party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s leadership.

Tan was also a candidate representing Perikatan Nasional for the Bekok state constituency in 2022.

KOTA TINGGI, April 27 — A 71-year-old farmer was charged at a Magistrates’ Court here for the fatal shooting involving two men and a woman at a restaurant last week.

The accused Lim Lian nodded his head after the charges were read out by an interpreter in Mandarin before Magistrate Nurkhalida Farhana Abu Bakar.

No plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the High Court’s jurisdiction.

According to the charge sheet, Lim is accused of shooting dead two men, identified as Wong Poh Soon, 61, and Chen Kwai Hwa, 64, together with a Vietnamese woman, Tran Thi Trang, 37, at a restaurant at Jalan Delima in Taman Kota Jaya here at about 1.30pm on April 19.

He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. 

The offence is punishable by the death penalty or 30 to 40 years in prison and a minimum 12 strokes of the cane.

The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Eizlan Azhar, while counsel Belinda Low represented the accused.

No bail was offered as murder is a non-bailable offence.

The court fixed May 13 for mention, pending the transfer of the case to the High Court.

It was reported on April 19 that three people were killed in a shooting outside a food outlet in Kota Jaya here.

The suspect, identified as a local, had allegedly shot the victims using a Benelli shotgun at 1.40pm. 

He was later arrested about 200m from the scene of incident and was later remanded for seven days before being charged. 

Police later confirmed that the suspect had a valid firearms license for the shotgun based on his agricultural needs.

Police believe that the incident was due to a RM50,000 debt owed to the suspect.