SHAH ALAM, Aug 26 — An unemployed man who is charged with the murder of an 85-year-old woman after he raped and sodomised her was given the death sentence by the High Court here today.

Judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman handed down the verdict to K. Satiaraj, 30, after finding the defence failed to raise a reasonable doubt at the end of the prosecution case.

In his judgment, Ab Karim said the accused had the intention of causing injury to the deceased and committed the act in a conscious state.

"Based on the testimonies, the accused did not face any difficulties in remembering and recounting the incident. The accused broke into the deceased’s house to steal before tying her hands and taping her mouth so that she could not scream.

"The accused also knew his intention of tying her hands. He also pleaded guilty to the offence of raping and sodomising the victim,” he said.

Ab Karim said the act of the accused stealing a gold chain after raping and sodomising the woman clearly showed that he was aware.

"After leaving the deceased’s house, the accused consciously asked for help from his friend N. Hari Krishnan who was the eighth prosecution witness to pawn the chain because the former did not have an identity card.

Sathiaraj is accused of having caused the death of the elderly woman at a house at Jalan Tasik Tambahan 2, Ampang, between 11.40am and 1pm, on September 19.

The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Previously, the accused was sentenced to 13 years in jail and five strokes of rotan after pleading guilty to raping and sodomising the senior citizen.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohammed Heikal Ismail appeared for the prosecution while lawyer Saladin Mohd Yasin represented the accused.

A total of 19 prosecution witnesses and one defence witness as well as the accused himself were called to testify in the trial conducted since December 2, last year.

Before this, the media reported that an elderly woman was found dead with her hands tied and head covered with a piece of cloth by her second son when he came home from work. — Bernama