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A SINGAPOREAN man will not escape the gallows for an armed robbery he committed 10 years ago in Johor, after Malaysia’s highest court threw out his appeal.
Lim Tiong Seng, 39, was sentenced to death in 2007 after he was found guilty of firing his gun five times during the botched robbery bid in 2001. One of the bullets hit a passer-by in the back but the man survived.
On Tuesday, the Federal Court in Malaysia upheld Lim’s sentence and that of his accomplice Wang Hup Huat, 51. The Malaysian had also been sentenced to death in 2007 for abetting Lim.
Explaining the decision of the three-man Bench, Judge Hashim Yusof said the Johor Baru High Court judge had correctly found the two men guilty in 2007.
The duo had gone to Eng Heng Huat medical hall in Pontian on July 14, 2001 at about 5pm.
Lim had asked the shopowners, two brothers, for medicine, saying he was suffering from kidney failure.
After talking to them for five minutes, Lim pulled out a gun and demanded RM10,000. He threatened to shoot the brothers when they said they did not have the sum.
One of the brothers managed to pick up a metal rod lying on the floor to hit the gunman.
Lim fired his first shot, hitting a piece of glass behind the counter. Two more shots were fired when he and Wang tried to run away from the pursuing shopowners.
Wang was caught but Lim managed to make it to a car driven by another Malaysian accomplice.
He fired another two shots before fleeing. One of these hit a man riding pillion on a motorcycle.
Lim was arrested in January 2002 in Kuala Lumpur and tried in 2005.
“After due deliberation, there is no reason for us to disturb the findings of the trial judge,” Judge Hashim was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times newspaper on Wednesday.
On Feb 24 last year, the Court of Appeal had dismissed their appeal.
The death sentence is mandatory under Malaysian law for offences involving the use, or discharge, of firearms.
lianbeng confused liao.
