FMT:
Woman, lover jailed 36
years for murder of
husband
Prosecution says the murder was carried out through a complex conspiracy for personal gain.
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has commuted the death sentence of an ex-storekeeper and a housewife for the murder of her husband, who was stabbed while sleeping 12 years ago.
G Puganeswaran, 34, and K Annamah, 47, were ordered to serve a 36-year jail term from Feb 17, 2012.
A three-member bench chaired by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat also ordered Puganeswaran to be given 12 strokes of the cane.
Justices Rhodzariah Bujang and Nordin Hassan were the other judges who heard the matter, which came before the apex court following the abolition of the mandatory death penalty last year.
The duo’s case was brought up under the Revision of the Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023.
On Aug 28, 2020, the Federal Court affirmed the death penalty on Puganeswaran and Annamah for the murder of M Ganesan.
A third accused, student N Harichandran, who was a child at the time of the offence, was ordered to be detained at the pleasure of the sultan of Selangor.
According to the facts of the case, Annamah had told Puganeswaran, her neighbour, about her marital problems, saying she was often beaten by her husband Ganesan, who would come home intoxicated.
On Feb 16, 2012, after Ganesan went to bed, Puganeswaran instructed Harichandran and three accomplices to enter the flat and kill him.
Annamah had opened the door of her flat to let them in. A pillow was then placed over Ganesan while his legs were held by one of the assailants before he was stabbed with a knife.
Today, deputy public prosecutor Ng Siew Wee told the review bench that Puganeswaran and Annamah, who were engaged in an extramarital affair, had hatched a premeditated, cold-blooded plan.
She said Harichandran facilitated the recruitment of the three others to carry out the murder in exchange for monetary compensation.
The trio, who were also minors, were not charged but became prosecution witnesses.
“The murder was carried out through a complex conspiracy for personal gain and under the false pretext of the deceased’s alleged misconduct,” she said.
She said Puganeswaran was the mastermind of the entire plot, motivated by his affair with Annamah and a desire for financial gain.
Ng, who appeared with deputy public prosecutor Norzilati Izhani Zainal, said Annamah betrayed her marital vows and facilitated the murder of her husband, and that her actions had exhibited extreme moral depravity.
“The defenceless deceased was violently attacked while asleep in his own home, a place where he should have felt safest,” she added.
Ng said the stab wounds inflicted by Harichandran were severe, penetrating vital organs such as the liver and kidney, causing massive blood loss and ultimately leading to Ganesan’s death.
“The savage nature of this attack, especially involving the deceit and active participation of the deceased’s spouse, amplifies its heinousness,” she said, urging that the death penalty be maintained.
Puganeswaran’s lawyer A Saha Deva said his client was not present at the crime scene and did not participate in the murder.
“He is not a murderer but was linked to the crime due to common intention as applied under Section 34 of the Penal Code,” he said.
Saha Deva said Puganeswaran, who has been in prison for 12 years and three months, should be allowed to return to his family and take care of them.
Counsel Wan M Razali Wan Kadir, who appeared for Annamah, said she had only facilitated the crime and that her role was minimal. The lawyer had proposed a minimum 30-year jail term.
Just throw the keys away.
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