At the outset of today’s proceedings, Usuf Matli’s lawyer Salim Bashir informed the bench that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had accepted representations from his client, which deputy public prosecutor Fairuz Johari confirmed.

Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail, who chaired a three-member bench alongside Justices Azman Abdullah and Azmi Ariffin, then ordered Usuf, a former hawker, to serve 15 years for each of the offences with the sentences to run consecutively, after he admitted to four charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

“The appellant will serve a total of 60 years, with sentences to run consecutively from the date of arrest,” Hadhariah said.

Usuf was accused of killing Salamah Yusof, Fatimas Ali, and children Asnawi Ahmad and Rahimy Yusuf at a Felcra oil palm plantation in Batu 7 Kampung Sijangkang, Telok Panglima Garang in Kuala Langat, Selangor, between 1am and 7.25pm on Sept 6, 2015.

The victims’ ages could not be determined as they were Cambodian passport holders. Usuf was the last person to be seen with them, and led police to their bodies during the investigation.

Last year, the High Court in Shah Alam sentenced Usuf to death for murder. This followed his original trial at the High Court in 2016, where he was acquitted of murder without having to enter his defence.

However, in May 2022, the Court of Appeal overturned this decision and ordered the trial to continue.

Fairuz today submitted that four lives had been lost and that the victims’ families could never be compensated.

“The victims were murdered gruesomely and this was witnessed by a family member,” he said.

In mitigation, Salim, who was assisted by Nur Aisyah Azhan, asked the court for concurrent sentences as the killings were a single transaction.