Murder charge for duo over death of thief

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Two men were charged today with the murder of a 38-year-old jobless man who died after being beaten up for allegedly stealing a handphone.
Lorry driver S. Poovarasan, 33, and tow-truck driver Ang Wei Seng, 23, along with six others still at large, were alleged to have pummeled Ooi Sim Guan at a field in Taman Sejahtera, Alma, Machang Bubok at around 3pm on Sept 26.
Both accused, who are facing the mandatory death sentence, appeared calm when the charge was read to them before sessions court judge Musyiri Peet.
No plea was recorded in the case prosecuted by DPP Lim Saw Sim. Musyiri then fixed Dec 16 for mention.
Rosli Ismail represented Ang while Povaarasan was unrepresented.
Ooi reportedly suffered serious injuries and passed out at the scene during the incident. He failed to regain consciousness and died on Sept 28 at the Bukit Mertajam hospital.
The incident was recorded on a handphone by a member of the public and later uploaded on the internet, with the video quickly going viral.