Aug 14 set for mention of Zulfarhan's case

KUALA LUMPUR: The Magistrate’s Court here today set Aug 14 for mention of the case involving 19 students of Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) who were charged with causing hurt on navy cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain.
Magistrate Siti Radziah Kamarudin set the date pending a medical report of the victim.
The students, all aged 21, are Mohd Hafiz Fauzan Ismail, Mohamad Lukhmanul Hakim Mohd Zain, Ahmad Shafwan Berdal, Muhammad Amirul Asraff Mala, Luqman Hakim Shamsuri, Muhammad Sufi Mohd Mustapha, Noriznan Izzairi Noor Azhar, Muhamad Ashraf Abdullah, Muhammad Danial Firdaus Azmir, Muhammad Hasif Ismail, Muhammad Akmal Akif Alias, Muhammad Adib Iman Fuad Adi Sany and Mohamad Syazwan Musa.
The others are Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri, Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali.
Their family members were present and filled up the public gallery in the court room, with some sitting on the floor, to follow proceeding of the case today.
Last June 14, they had all pleaded not guilty to a charge of voluntarily causing hurt on Zulfarhan Osman to extort a confession from him over the theft of a lap top.
The offence was allegedly committed at room 03-05 UPNM Jebat hostel block between 2.30 am and 5.30 am on May 21 this year and room 04-10 of the same hostel block between 1.30 am and 4.30 am the following day.
They are charged under Section 330 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, and face an imprisonment for up to seven years and is liable to fine, if found guilty.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor K. Vasugi, while lawyers Datuk Seri M. Ramachelvam, Datuk Ranjit Singh Dhillon , Datin Hazizah Kassim, Ariff Amirul Abdul Jani, A. G Kalidas, Mohd Fadly Hashim, Zamri Idrus and Joshua Tay represented the students.
Thirteen of the students, namely Mohd Hafiz Fauzan Ismail, Mohamad Lukhmanul Hakim Mohd Zain, Ahmad Shafwan Berdal, Muhammad Amirul Asraff Mala, Luqman Hakim Shamsuri, Muhammad Sufi Mohd Mustapha, Noriznan Izzairi Noor Azhar, Muhamad Ashraf Abdullah, Muhammad Danial Firdaus Azmir, Muhammad Hasif Ismail, Muhammad Akmal Akif Alias, Muhammad Adib Iman Fuad Adi Sany and Mohamad Syazwan Musa were released on bail of RM7,000 in one surety each.
However, the other six students, comprising Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali were not allowed bail as they faced another charge.
Five of them – Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri – were charged with murdering Zulfarhan Osman, while Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali was charged with abetment in the murder.
They were alleged to have committed the offence at 04-10 of the hostel block between 4.45am and 5.45am last May 22.
The offence, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, provides the mandatory death sentence upon conviction. — Bernama