The ex-barber’s death sentence was upheld for the murder of baby Zara
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court maintained the death penalty given to a former hairdresser for the murder of “Zara,” an 11-month-old infant girl who was sexually assaulted six years prior and suffered severe vaginal injuries.
A three-judge panel chaired by Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang dismissed Hazmi Majid’s (42), final appeal seeking to overturn his conviction and punishment.
“The verdict and the death penalty are secure. “This court, seated alongside Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, upholds the sentence as determined by the Court of Appeal and the High Court,” Judge Rhodzariah declared.
Hazmi’s attorney, T. Vijayandran, had earlier argued that his client was not conscious of his actions because he was under the influence of drugs. He asked that the death penalty be overturned and replaced with a 30-year jail sentence.
Tetralina Ahmed Fauzi, the deputy public prosecutor, countered that Hazmi’s attempt to destroy evidence by washing a towel to remove blood demonstrated that he was cognizant at the time of the occurrence and that the plea of being under the influence of drugs should be discarded.
Tetralina claims that the case satisfies the criteria for “the rarest of rare cases,” which supports the continuation of the death penalty.
“On the day of the occurrence, the victim’s mother sent her to the babysitter’s house at 6.45 am, and the kid passed away around 1.30 pm. Her odds of survival are poor because she barely weighs 8.26 kg, her teeth have not yet formed, and she has significant brain haemorrhage,” the woman stated.
The appellant volunteered to bathe the victim that day, but he never offered to assist his wife, the child’s babysitter, according to the prosecution’s testimony.
Hazmi was found guilty of killing Nur Muazara Ulfa Mohammad Zainal, also known as Zara, on November 7, 2018, between 10.30 am and 1.30 pm at a unit at Pangsapuri Sri Cempaka, Bandar Baru Bangi.
The individual was prosecuted under Penal Code Section 302, which, if found guilty, carries a death sentence.
The Shah Alam High Court had sentenced Hazmi to death on August 20, 2021, and the Court of Appeal had upheld that decision in March of last year.
The Shah Alam High Court also sentenced Hazmi to 13 years in prison and 12 canings in 2019 for two charges of child sex abuse. He had entered a guilty plea to sticking his finger into the privates of the 11-month-old baby.
According to media reports, the baby passed away two days after being admitted to Serdang Hospital in Selangor in severe condition. It is thought that the babysitter’s husband had abused her physically and sexually. – Bernama