PUTRAJAYA: Former information technology officer Yew Wei Liang broke down in tears in the dock after the Federal Court reduced his prison term from 16 years to 12 for the culpable homicide of ex-bank officer Syed Muhammad Danial Syed Shakir during a road rage incident on the North South Expressway (NSE) in 2019.
A three-judge panel, led by Datuk Nordin Hassan ruled that the 16-year sentence previously imposed by the Shah Alam High Court on Dec 7, 2023 and later affirmed by the Court of Appeal (CoA) on March 10 this year was excessive.
“The sentence imposed is a bit high. So we reduced the sentence from 16 years to 12,” he said.
Upon hearing the decision, Yew, 47, broke down in the dock while his wife, who had been seated in the public gallery throughout the proceedings, breathed a sigh of relief.
An interpreter was also seen explaining the court’s decision to Yew in Mandarin.
Earlier, Nordin, who sat alongside Datuk Seri Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera and Datuk Lee Swee Seng, uniamously dismissed the cross appeals filed by both the prosecution and defence, and upheld Yew’s conviction under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code.
“We find that the decision by CoA is safe. There is no error for us to disturb the decision,” he said.
The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor Ng Siew Wee, had sought to reinstate the initial murder charge under Section 302, which carries the death penalty or a maximum 40-year jali term and at least 12 strokes of the rotan.
The defence led by Datuk N. Sivananthan who appeared alongside Nabila Habib argued for the conviction under Section 304(a), which carries a 30-year jail term, to be reduced to Section 304(b), which provides a maximum 10-year imprisonment.
After the proceedings, Sivananthan said Yew, who has been incarcerated since his arrest on Aug 10, 2019 will be released in exactly two years.
He said Yew will serve a total of eight years in jail.
“He is very relieved. He was not hopeful coming to court today. He did not think anything would change and I had told him it would be an uphill battle.
“This is a pleasant surprise for him and his family. He will be out in 2027. It is a substantial reduction.
“Whatever it is, someone died and Yew is paying the price,” he said.
On Aug 22, 2019, Yew was charged with the murder of Syed Muhammad Danial, then aged 29, at the 293.6 kilometre stretch of the NSE between 1pm and 2pm on Aug 10, 2019.
He was,however, found guilty under Section 304(a) after the court amended the charge to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The incident began as a fender bender between Syed Muhammad Danial and Yew near the Sungai Besi toll plaza.
Both vehicles were then involved in a high-speed chase, until both drivers stopped and were involved in a physical altercation, which was broken up by other motorists.
Syed Muhammad Danial and Yew eventually returned to their respective cars.
However, the former, still not satisfied, allegedly alighted from his car armed with a baseball bat and began swinging at the front portion of Yew’s car.
Yew then allegedly accelerated his vehicle, which rammed into Syed Muhammad Danial, pinning him between the former’s car and the road divider.
Syed Muhammad Danial later succumbed to his injuries at the Nilai Medical Centre.
Yew’s pregnant wife suffered a miscarriage after the incident while Syed Muhammad Danial left behind a wife and a newborn child.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
