Tawau murder case: I couldn't recognise my father's body, son tells court

In the High Court at Tawau, the son of a murdered ehailing driver testified that he couldn’t recognize his father’s decomposed body when it was found in an oil palm plantation. Mohd Norazrie Nurman, 36, said he later identified his father based on various physical characteristics. His father, Nurman Bakaratu, 61, was murdered on Jan 13 last year, and his body was found three days later on Jan 16.

Nurman told the court that he was summoned to Tawau Hospital by ASP Yusman Shari Marinsah and escorted by a medical specialist to the mortuary where he saw the body. He initially couldn’t identify it due to bloating but later recognized it based on a damaged toe on the right foot. This was revealed during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohammad Fakhrurrazi Ahmad before Judge Datuk Duncan Sikodol.

During the trial of six policemen and a civilian, along with former Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) head of intelligence staff Datuk Mat Zaki Md Zain charged with killing the ehailing driver, Nurman stated that he identified his father based on unique physical traits. The policemen and civilian were charged with the murder of Nurman at a palm oil plantation near Jalan Anjur Juara, Jalan Apas Baru 5 in Tawau.

They were accused of committing the act between 7.30pm and 11.30pm on Jan 13, 2023, and were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code. Mat Zaki, 59, is facing two charges of conspiring to kill Nurman according to Section 109 of the Penal Code read with Section 302 of the same Code.

When questioned by lawyer Hairul Vaiyron Othman, Mohd Norazrie agreed that he could not be 100% certain that the remains in the hospital during the identification process were his father’s. Mohd Norazrie, an assistant plantation manager in Tongod, informed that his parents divorced in 1985, and he was unaware that his father remarried and later divorced.

He also stated that he had no knowledge that his father had visited an entertainment premises and confiscated his ex-wife’s mobile phone a few days before his death. He was also not aware whether the car found with the body was the one his father used while residing in Lahad Datu.

Tawau District Police Chief ACP Jasmin Hussin testified that he visited the crime scene on Jan 16 and observed the body in a supine position on the left side of the white vehicle.

The trial continues on Thursday (Jan 4). – Bernama