A three-member bench chaired by Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail ordered that C Somchit begin her sentence on Oct 23, 2018, after she pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Also on the panel were Justices Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and SM Komathy Suppiah.

At the outset of today’s proceedings, deputy public prosecutor P Sarulatha informed the bench that the prosecution had agreed for the murder charge Somchit was convicted of to be substituted.

On July 14, 2021, the High Court in Alor Setar sentenced the then 25-year-old Somchit, a Malaysian of Thai origin, to death for the murder of Suriati Mat Saad, 29.

Justice Ghazali Cha’s judgment identified the duo as “same sex” lovers.

The offence was committed at a house in Taman Semarak, Sungai Petani, Kedah, between noon and 5.30pm on Sept 19, 2011.

According to a post-mortem report, Suriati died of multiple stab wounds, including one which pierced her heart.

The facts of the case revealed that there was a fight between the two which saw Somchit suffer stab wounds, as Suriati was going to be engaged to a man.

Somchit was later found unconscious in front of a neighbour’s house and was taken to Sungai Petani Hospital.

In mitigation earlier, lawyer K Simon Murali said Somchit also suffered near-fatal injuries but was resuscitated.

“She was arrested and held in remand at the hospital for 14 days. She was released unconditionally, but seven years later (in 2018), she was wanted by the police and surrendered,” he said.

Somchit was charged with murder on Oct 23, 2018.

Simon said the investigating officer had also testified at the trial to a sudden and massive fight between the two women.

He said a doctor had testified that the injuries were so serious that Somchit’s spleen had to be removed, for which she continues to be under medication.

Sarulatha proposed a jail term of between 12 and 15 years as a life was lost.