Kekal hukuman mati kes bakar isteri, anak

PUTRAJAYA - Mahkamah Persekutuan di sini hari ini mengekalkan sabitan dan hukuman mati ke atas seorang penjual ais kerana membunuh isteri dan anak perempuannya 10 tahun lalu dengan menyimbah minyak tanah dan membakar mereka.

Barisan panel lima hakim yang diketuai hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan, Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar juga mengekalkan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi menjatuhi hukuman penjara 12 tahun ke atas P. Balan Subramaniam atas percubaan membunuh seorang lagi anak perempuannya.

Hakim Suriyadi yang bersidang bersama Hakim Tan Sri Ahmad Maarop, Tan Sri Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha, Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali dan Datuk Seri Abu Samah Nordin, menolak rayuan akhir Balan terhadap sabitan, hukuman mati dan hukuman penjara.

Balan, 62, didapati bersalah dan dijatuhi hukuman mati oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Ipoh kerana membunuh isterinya R Angeladevi, 48 tahun.

Mahkamah Tinggi pada mulanya telah melepas dan membebaskan Balan atas pertuduhan membunuh anak perempuannya, Anuradha, 20, pelajar kolej ketika itu dan percubaan membunuh anak perempuannya Malini berusia 23 tahun ketika itu (sekarang 34 tahun), seorang pembantu hospital tanpa dipanggil membela diri. 

Bagaimanapun, selepas pihak pendakwaan memfailkan rayuan kepada Mahkamah Rayuan, kes itu dikembalikan ke Mahkamah Tinggi untuk Balan membela diri atas kedua-dua pertuduhan.

Pada penggulungan kes pembelaan, Balan didapati bersalah dan dihukum mati kerana membunuh Anuradha dan dia juga didapati bersalah dan dijatuhi hukuman penjara 12 tahun atas percubaan membunuh Malini.

Mahkamah Rayuan menolak rayuannya untuk mengetepikan sabitan dan hukuman.

Balan dituduh melakukan kesalahan itu di rumahnya di Jalan Anggerik, Desa Changkat, Batu Gajah, di daerah Kinta, Perak antara 10 malam dan 11 malam pada 11 Oktober 2004.

Menurut fakta kes, pertengkaran tercetus pada hari kejadian sehingga menyebabkan dia bertindak membakar kedua-dua mereka. Angeladevi dan Anuradha telah membuat deklarasi membabitkan Balan sebelum kematian mereka.

Balan diwakili peguam Datuk K Kumaraendran dan Dev Kumaraendran sementara pendakwaan dijalankan oleh timbalan pendakwa raya Hamdan Hamzah. 

- Sumber: Bernama

Eleven shot dead at French satirical weekly, Paris now on highest alert

Firefighters and police officers gather in front of the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris and treat victims, after armed gunmen stormed the offices leaving eleven dead. - AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE DUPEYRAT

PARIS: At least 11 people were killed when gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs and a rocket-launcher opened fire in the offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, said sources close to the investigation.

The prosecutor's office confirmed that "at this stage" 10 people had been killed without detailing how many had been injured.

Another source close to the investigation said the number of dead had reached 11.

Deputy Mayor of Paris Bruno Julliard earlier said "six people are seriously injured", including a policeman. It was not clear whether these now figured among the dead.

French President Francois Hollande arrived at the scene of the shooting after rushing there and calling an emergency cabinet meeting, the presidency said.

The government raised its alert level to the highest possible in the greater Paris region.

A source close to the investigation said two men "armed with a Kalashnikov and a rocket-launcher" stormed the building in central Paris and "fire was exchanged with security forces."

The source said a gunman had hijacked a car and knocked over a pedestrian while attempting to speed away.

The publication's cartoonist Renaud Luzier earlier told AFP there were "casualties" after the incident.

The satirical newspaper gained notoriety in February 2006 when it reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that had originally appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, causing fury across the Muslim world.

Its offices were fire-bombed in November 2011 when it published a cartoon of Mohammed and under the title "Charia Hebdo".

Despite being taken to court under anti-racism laws, the weekly continued to publish controversial cartoons of the Muslim prophet.

In September 2012 Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of a naked Mohammed as violent protests were taking place in several countries over a low-budget film, titled "Innocence of Muslims", which was made in the United States and insulted the prophet.

French schools, consulates and cultural centres in 20 Muslim countries were briefly closed along with embassies for fear of retaliatory attacks at the time.

- Source: AFP