PUTRAJAYA, Aug 9 ― Two women escaped the gallows today when the charge against them was reduced from trafficking in 212.7 grammes heroin and 82.2 grammes monoacetylmorphine to one of possession.

Zawani Zulkifli, unemployed, was instead sentenced to 15 years jail while Nur Zahirah Yusoff, a former bus ticketing agent, was jailed 13 years, both to run from the date of their arrest on December 18, 2016.

Court of Appeal judge Datuk Suraya Othman who chaired a three-member bench said there was a difference in the jail sentence as Zawani had a previous conviction.

She told the women that they were lucky that the prosecution had offered to reduce the charge or else they could face death sentence.

Justice Suraya said she hoped that both of them would repent and turn over a new leaf after being released from prison.

The other two judges were Justices Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and Datuk Ghazali Cha.

Earlier, Zawani and Nur Zahirah, both are friends, aged 34, were convicted by the Court of Appeal bench for possession of the drugs after they accepted deputy public prosecutor Aslinda Ahad’s offer for reduction of the charge.

Both woman were appealing against their conviction and death sentence imposed on them by the High Court on October 31, 2019 after finding them guilty for trafficking in the drugs at a condominum unit at Park View Tower, Jalan Harbour Place, Butterworth, Penang at 4.45pm on December 18, 2016.

In mitigation, Zawani’s lawyer Mohamad Hafiz Jalaludin, who was assisted by Mohd Izhar Ahmad Azmi, urged the court to impose a minimum jail term.

Meanwhile, lawyer K. Simon Murali said his client Nur Zahirah has no previous conviction, adding that she came from a broken family and was influenced by friends.

Both women had also been charged with trafficking in drugs In another case in Penang but Nur Zahirah was discharged and acquitted by a different High Court judge without her defence being called while Zawani was convicted and sentenced to death. Her appeal before the Court of Appeal is pending. ― Bernama