PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – The Federal Court in Putrajaya has upheld the death sentence for a former security guard convicted of murdering two co-workers seven years ago. The convicted man, Mohd Ferdaus Suwardi, slashed his victims with a machete while they were asleep at a chicken processing plant in Klang, Selangor in 2017.
Delivering the court’s decision, Justice Abang Iskandar stated that the death penalty was maintained due to the brutal and merciless nature of the crime. The court declined to substitute the sentence with a custodial one in light of the gruesome manner in which the crime was committed.
Mohd Ferdaus was found guilty of killing Syed Mohd Fazrul Syed Mohd Ridhuan, 23, and Wan Amir Hamzah Abu Hassan, 48. The victims suffered numerous injuries, and the attack was described as exceptionally cruel. The conviction and death sentence were upheld by the High Court in 2019 and the Court of Appeal in 2022.
In his defense, Mohd Ferdaus claimed insanity under Section 84 of the Penal Code, but failed to prove it according to the expert evidence of three psychiatrists presented in court. His lawyer asked the court to substitute the death sentence with a lengthy jail term, while the deputy public prosecutor urged the court to uphold the death penalty due to the severity of the crime.
Mohd Ferdaus’ appeal was dismissed, and the court maintained the death penalty, emphasizing the brutal and merciless nature of the crime as reason enough to uphold the sentence. The convicted man was found guilty of murdering his two co-workers as they slept at a chicken processing plant in 2017.