A Singaporean man, Shahrul Nizam Zuraimy, 36, has been sentenced by the Melaka High Court to a total of 72 years in prison and 24 strokes of the cane for the 2019 murders of his wife and stepson, whose dismembered bodies were found in a bushy area. Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis handed down consecutive sentences of 36 years and 12 strokes of the cane for each charge, effective from Shahrul’s arrest on October 11, 2019.
In delivering the judgment, Anselm described Shahrul’s actions as exceptionally cruel, highlighting that he had hidden his wife’s head in the ceiling of their home in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime. The court considered the principle of “life for life,” the emotional trauma suffered by the victims’ family, and public interest, while also factoring in the defence’s arguments and aggravating circumstances presented by the prosecution.
Shahrul had been charged with two counts of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code for causing the deaths of his 27-year-old wife, Norfazera Bidin, and her 11-year-old son, Muhammad Iman Ashraf Abdullah, at their Taman Merdeka Jaya home in Batu Berendam, Melaka Tengah, between 6pm on October 6 and 7:30am on October 7, 2019. These charges carry either the death penalty or a maximum 40-year prison term, with a mandatory minimum of 12 strokes of the cane if the death penalty is not imposed.
During the trial, Norfazera’s mother and sister gave impact statements, urging the court to impose a severe sentence, including the death penalty, citing the family’s trauma and the brutal nature of the killings. Deputy Public Prosecutors Mohd Asri Abd Rahman Sidik and Nur Syazwanie Marizan emphasized that Shahrul had betrayed his duty to protect his wife and stepson, calling for consecutive sentences to reflect the severity of his crimes.
The prosecution also noted that although Shahrul eventually surrendered, he had initially misled the victims’ family about their whereabouts and fled to Singapore, underscoring the need for a strict penalty.
Defence lawyers Andrew Lourdes and Chua Yong Yi pleaded for leniency, arguing that Shahrul had expressed genuine remorse and deserved a second chance. Despite this, the court found the gravity of his actions warranted the maximum prison and whipping sentences.
