KOTA KINABALU, March 31 — The Kuching High Court today sentenced a 23-year-old fishmonger to death for murdering two British medical students in an early-morning fight last August 6.
High Court judge Justice Chew Soo Ha found Zulkipli Abdullah guilty of killing 22-year-olds Aidan Brunger and Neil Gareth Dalton, who were walking back to their backpacker’s lodge on Abell Road between 4.10am and 4.15am at the time of the murder.
According to The Malaysian Insider’s report from Kuching, British family members of the deceased wept in court when Zulkipli, from Kampung Gersik, was meted the death sentence under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
The report also cited Chew saying that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Zulkipli had killed the two medical students after boasting of wanting to “test his strength against taller, bigger and stronger foreigners”.
Newcastle University students Brunger and Dalton were found stabbed to death two days before the end of their six-week stint at the Sarawak General Hospital.
Zulkipli was represented by counsel Anthony Tai against deputy public prosecutors Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad and Poh Yih Tinn.
The case shed some international media attention on Kuching last year, normally a peaceful quiet city not used to publicity.
BBC news carried a joint statement from the victims’ parents, Phil and Jan Dalton and Paul Brunger and Sue Hidson, who were relieved that some justice has been served but the damage has been done.
“Although we are pleased that the man responsible for their murders has been held accountable, the guilty verdict does not bring our sons back.”
“They were two exceptional young men with such promise — kind, funny and full of life. Their deaths have left their families and many good friends utterly devastated,” it read.
“Our sons would soon have qualified as doctors. Their unprovoked and senseless murders as they were walking home after a night out with other medical students mean that Aidan and Neil will never have the chance to spend their lives caring for and helping others,” said the report.
