SHAH ALAM – The high court here has sentenced former IT officer Yew Wei Liang to 16 years in jail for causing a man’s death in a road rage incident in 2019.
Yew’s sentence today follows the Shah Alam High Court’s guilty verdict on Tuesday for the death of bank manager Syed Muhammad Danial Syed Syakir.
High court judge Julia Ibrahim ruled that Yew, 45, was guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment and a fine.
Yew was initially charged with murder in 2019 under Section 302 of the Penal Code. The amended charge follows the judge’s finding that Yew had caused Syed Muhammad Danial’s death instead of intentionally killing him.
Despite Yew’s defence claiming a physical threat against him and his wife during the altercation with the deceased near Bandar Baru Bangi, the judge ruled that this was not proven.
Syed Muhammad Danial, who was 29 years old at the time, had wielded a baseball bat during the incident.
While the judge acknowledged Yew’s right to defend his property, a Toyota Innova vehicle, from the deceased, she ruled that such a right did not extend to causing Syed Muhammad Danial’s death.
The judge also found that Yew had acted beyond his right to self-defence by repeatedly running into the deceased, as the threat against his vehicle had diminished once the deceased ran away.
Bernama reports that before sentencing today, Yew’s lawyer Wee Choo Keong applied for a six-year jail sentence for his client on the basis that he did not intend to kill Syed Muhammad Danial, and that it was more of an unfortunate outcome in a road accident involving both parties.
“The said accident was an unfortunate outcome which was brought about by the deceased. If the deceased had just driven away after the scuffle was dispersed by SP17 (prosecution witness), the deceased would still be alive today.
“It would be manifestly unjust and unreasonable for this court to place the blame for the deceased’s death solely on the accused’s shoulders when it is crystal clear that there was no premeditation or intention to cause death on the part of the accused, but instead it was a mere unfortunate accident for both parties,” he said.
Wee added that his client was supporting his wife and elderly parents, and as a result of his arrest and detention, his wife also suffered a miscarriage.
However, deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin pressed for a stiffer sentence commensurate with the offence as there was a prevalence of such incidents in the country.
“This case had a significant impact on society and news about it went viral at the time. A stiff sentence should be imposed on the accused to teach him a lesson and make him an example so that people do not make the same mistake.
“The consequences of the accused’s failure to control his emotions should be a lesson to the public when faced with difficult situations on the road,” she said. – December 7, 2023