Justice Azizul Azmi Adnan meted out the punishment on Abdul Malik Rosli, 24, after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.

He said he had thoroughly examined the evidence presented by the defence and concluded that the prosecution had established a case under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

Malik was charged with the murder of Mahussin Abdul Rahim, 28, on the fourth floor of the Lukut health quarters in Port Dickson at around 1.40am on Jan 19, 2018.

Mahussin’s body was found by his friend 72 hours after he was reported missing when he failed to turn up for work on Jan 22, 2018.

Deputy public prosecutor Husni Fairos Ramli said murder is a serious offence and urged the court to take into account public interest to serve as a lesson for others.

“According to the facts of the case, the crime was premeditated and the accused even took the victim’s belongings and assaulted him with items that were said to be from the deceased’s house,” he said.

In mitigation, lawyer Haniff Hasan, representing the accused, said it was not a premeditated crime, adding that his client lost control due to emotional stress and urged the court to take into account the accused’s background.

“He was only 20 years old at the time, still young and with no steady job. He came from a poor family. His family was not present today because they could not afford to come to court,” he said.

Hanif said the defence will appeal the decision.