Kuala Lumpur: The High Court here today sentenced a former contractor to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of murdering his wife by smothering her with a blanket at their home four years ago. Judge K. Muniandy ruled that Chuah Chin Hoe, 51, had failed to raise any reasonable doubt in his defence, ordering his sentence to commence from the date of his arrest on May 11, 2021.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the charge accused Chuah of murdering Lau Bee Hong, 46, at a condominium unit on Jalan Genting Klang, Setapak, between 2.30 am and 9.30 am on May 9, 2021. The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the death penalty or imprisonment of 30 to 40 years. If not sentenced to death, the law also mandates at least 12 strokes of the cane.

Earlier, defence counsel Carmen Eu, who represented the father of three, pleaded for the minimum 30-year jail term without caning, citing his age and mental distress following the loss of both his wife and son within a short period. She argued that the accused was a loving and devoted husband, and his actions were a spontaneous assault rather than a premeditated act. Eu also urged the court to consider that Chuah was unable to attend his second child’s funeral as he was already in prison, and he promised to make the most of his second chance.

However, deputy public prosecutor Zaileen Nadia Zubir argued for the maximum penalty, highlighting that as a husband and head of the family, the accused had a duty to protect, not harm, his wife. She stated that the evidence presented in court does not suggest any element of a fight or provocation leading to this murder. Zubir emphasized that this was not a crime of passion but a premeditated crime committed with intent. She also pointed out that the victim had filed a police report expressing fear for her safety, which should not be ignored in determining the sentence.