A three-member bench chaired by Justice Nordin Hassan maintained Azman Wahab’s conviction and sentence after his court-appointed counsel’s application to adduce fresh evidence was disallowed.

Lawyer Ai Cha Ran had asked for the bench to consider three medical reports on Azman’s mental state at the time he committed the crimes.

However, Nordin, who sat with Justices Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera and Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh, dismissed the application, ruling that it failed to meet the established criteria for introducing new evidence.

The medical reports were only marked as identification documents during the trial.

Nordin said the reports were already made available at the High Court when witnesses testified.

Ai then urged the bench to maintain the sentence imposed by the Court of Appeal last year.

Deputy public prosecutor Siti Rafidah Zainuddin appeared for the prosecution.

A three-member bench, comprising Justices Che Ruzima Ghazali, Azman Abdullah and Azmi Ariffin, ordered the sentence after overturning Azman’s earlier conviction of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Azman was ordered to serve 35 years in prison for each murder charge, with the sentences running concurrently, and 12 strokes of the cane for each charge.

He was initially convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment by the High Court on Aug 25, 2022.

Azman was convicted of killing his brother, Azwan, 26, in the living room of their home in Kampung Lanai, Parit Panjang, Baling, Kedah, at 11am on Oct 2, 2016.

He was also found guilty of murdering his aunt, Rokiah Abdullah, 54, outside the same house at 11.10am on the same day.