A woman and her boyfriend have been sentenced to death by hanging over the murder of her five-year-old son, whose body was then wrapped in blanket and thrown at an oil palm plantation.

Judicial Commissioner Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh of the Georgetown High Court yesterday found T Gayathry, 36, and R Saravanan, 30, guilty at the defence's case, for the murder of S Kaviarasan at a house in Taman Keladi in Kulim, Kedah, six years ago.

The couple were found guilty of committing the offence under Section 302 of the Penal Code, between 8am on Sept 20, 2014 and 4.05pm on Sept 27, 2014, reported the New Straits Times (NST).

"In considering all the evidence brought before the court, the court finds that the prosecution has succeeded in proving the case beyond reasonable doubt against both the accused's defence.

"Both the accused are charged with murder, which carries the death penalty upon conviction. This court has to pass sentence according to the law. As such, this court sentences both of you to death," Ahmad Shahrir was quoted saying.

Gayathry, who was reportedly undergoing a divorce from her husband at the time of the incident, and living in with the second accused, had lodged a police report alleging her son's disappearance on Sept 23, 2014.

Upon interrogation, she had confessed to lashing the boy with a belt as he was naughty and had refused to study, and he had died on Sept 20, 2014.

Kaviarasan's body, with blunt force trauma to the head, was found wrapped in blanket, dumped at an oil palm estate in Bukit Tengah, Butterworth, on Sept 29, 2014.

In passing the sentence, Ahmad Shahrir said it was unreasonable that Gayathry did not protect her only son from being fatally beaten by her boyfriend, and also did not tell the truth to the police when she eventually went to lodge a report.

The lawyers for both Saravanan and Gayathry said they would appeal against the death sentence at the higher courts.


Source: NST, The Star
Photo source: The Star