Workshop owner jailed 30 years for murder after self-defence claim fails

The High Court in Ipoh found that workshop owner Ngin Sing Keong's version of events was inconsistent with the evidence presented at the murder trial.PETALING JAYA: A workshop owner who claimed he acted in self-defence when he fatally stabbed a man at his premises in Sitiawan has been sentenced to 30 years in jail after the High Court in Ipoh found the evidence showed he had deliberately inflicted the fatal injuries.Ngin Sing Keong was found guilty of murdering Sia Ghee Wong, who was stabbed at the workshop on Nov 13, 2020.Justice Moses Susayan ruled that Ngin had failed to establish his plea of private defence, saying it was unsupported by independent evidence and contradicted by the prosecution's eyewitness, medical and forensic evidence.Susayan accepted the testimony of Sia Mao Kok, the victim's son and the sole eyewitness, describing him as "a truthful and credible witness" whose account held up despite extensive cross-examination.He said Mao Kok's evidence was corroborated by the forensic pathologist, who found two deep stab wounds to the neck and abdomen, either of which was sufficient on its own to cause death, along with forensic evidence linking Ngin to the attack."The objective pathological findings decisively contradict the defence's account and are entirely consistent with a deliberate and forceful attack," Susayan said.He rejected the defence's claim that the deceased had been the aggressor, saying there was no independent evidence to support it.Susayan said DNA found on the knife handle only established biological contact and could not show who had possessed the weapon first."The accused's version is unsupported by any independent evidence, is contradicted by the credible testimony of Mao Kok and is inconsistent with the objective medical and forensic evidence," he said.Although the prosecution sought the death penalty, Susayan instead imposed the minimum 30-year term available under sentencing guidelines introduced after the 2023 reform abolishing the mandatory death penalty.He said the evidence did not establish whether Ngin had lured the deceased to the workshop or whether the confrontation broke out spontaneously.The prison sentence was ordered to run from the date of his arrest on Nov 13, 2020.