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Akechi Mitsuhide
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Jul 18, 2011
Jailed 12 years for causing death with an angle bar
By Khushwant Singh
Kumaresen Muthian, 30, hit Mr Isaac S Balasundra's head with an angle bar as well as stomped on the older man's chest and abdomen, fracturing the sternum. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
A MALAYSIAN, who killed a man, was spared the death sentence on grounds of diminished responsibility. The High Court heard on Monday that Kumaresen Muthian suffers from major depression and this will reduce his culpability in the commission of the offence.
The 31-year-old had pleaded guilty to committing culpable homicide two years ago and was sentenced to 12 years in jail. He had hit Mr Isaac S Balasundra's head with an angle bar as well as stomped on the older man's chest and abdomen, fracturing the sternum.
Deputy public prosecutor Stella Tan told the court that Kumaresen had been working here for 10 years. He was sacked as a lorry driver on Feb 9 (09) for being absent from work. He shared a one-room flat in Henderson Road with 44-year-old odd-job worker Amaralingam A Alagappan.
Mr Isaac, who is unemployed and divorced, would frequent the flat as he was on good terms with Mr Amaralingam, his former brother-in-law. However, he did not get along with Kumaresen because of the latter's friendship with Mr Shanker Sabapathy, 39, who is said to be the third party in Mr Isaac's broken marriage.
On April 14, 2009, Kumaresen was drinking Chinese rice wine with Mr Shanker and Mr Mohd Haniffa Abdul Salam, 47, at a void deck in Redhilll Close. All were then unemployed. Mr Isaac was drinking rice wine with Mr Amaralingam in the second-storey flat and at 5pm, the trio went to confront their foe.
When Mr Isaac shouted vulgarities at Kumaresen for bringing along his two friends, the Malaysian left the flat only to return moments later with the 30cm-long angle bar. He had picked it up among some renovation debris along the corridor.
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