Bernama reported that Yee Fatt Seong, 70, nodded after the charge was read to him in Mandarin by the court interpreter before judge Nor Azah Kasran.

However, no plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

Yee is accused of murdering Loo Ah Teong, 63, at a hut on Jalan Kolam in Cherok Tokun, Bukit Mertajam, between 2pm and 3.22pm on April 27.

The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, provides for the death penalty or imprisonment for between 30 and 40 years and no less than 12 strokes of the cane if convicted.

Deputy public prosecutor Nurameera Shahrul Azreen appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented. No bail was granted as the offence is non-bailable.

The court set June 30 for mention of the case pending the chemical and post-mortem reports.

In the incident on April 27, the victim was said to have been talking with five of his friends, including the suspect, when an argument broke out.

The suspect is alleged to have hit the victim from behind with a piece of wood, knocking him to the ground, before stabbing him with a knife. The victim was confirmed dead at the scene.

Police later arrested Yee on April 29 in front of a coffee shop in Machang Bubok.