A three-member bench chaired by Chief Judge of Malaya Azahar Mohamed said the conviction of N Kumaresan, decided by the trial court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal, was safe.

Azahar, who sat with Abdul Rahman Sebli and Zaleha Yusof, said Kumaresan’s confession to his wife and the circumstantial evidence given was enough to prove him guilty of the offence.

He also said the intention to murder A Sivasanggari, 22, was clear based on the pathologist’s evidence as the hyoid bone in the victim’s neck was fractured.

Kumaresan, 31, committed the offence at One Hotel between 9pm on June 9, 2014 and 10am the following day.

Deputy public prosecutor Hanim Mohd Rashid said Kumaresan and the victim had been having an affair, but that the motive for murder was unclear.

Kumaresan and Sivasanggari, a cashier at an entertainment centre, checked into the hotel, with Kumaresan checking out the following day before leaving for his home town in Teluk Intan.

He then called his wife to confess the crime and attempted to commit suicide by consuming weed killer.

His wife gave evidence in court as a prosecution witness.

The High Court found Kumaresan guilty of murder in 2018, with the Court of Appeal affirming the finding last year.

Kumaresan, who was represented by T Vijandran, could still avoid the gallows if he receives a pardon from the Selangor sultan as the crime was committed in that state.

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