Johor bahru: A customer service officer was charged in the Magistrate's Court here with the murder of his one-year-six-month-old son three years ago. G. Thevendhiran, 40, acknowledged the charge read before Magistrate Nurzihan Abdul Rehman, yet no plea was recorded since murder cases are under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Thevendhiran is accused of murdering his child at Straits View Condominium in Bandar Baru Permas Jaya between 8.30 am and 10 am on September 12, 2023. The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the death penalty or imprisonment from 30 to 40 years, and no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane if the death penalty is not enforced upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Deana Aqilah Aliman represented the prosecution, while Thevendhiran had no legal representation. The court scheduled October 1 for mention, awaiting the submission of the DNA, forensic, chemical, and toxicology reports.

In a separate hearing before Magistrate A. Shaarmini, Thevendhiran was sentenced to one month in prison and fined RM3,000, with an alternative of three months' imprisonment, after admitting to possessing obscene material. He faced charges for storing obscene material on his mobile phone at the same condominium's parking area on July 18 this year.

The charge, under Section 292(a) of the Penal Code, involves a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction. Deputy Public Prosecutor Anis Shafeeqah Mohd Shariffudin handled the prosecution, with lawyer Noor Asyikin Shafiqah Atham Malik from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) defending Thevendhiran.