Aslam Zainuddin J:

[1] The accused was initially indicted with the following charge:

"Bahawa kamu pada 29 September 2019 antara jam lebih kurang 7.15 pagi, bertempat di alamat Jalan PS 2E, Taman Prima Selayang, Batu Caves, di dalam Daerah Gombak, di dalam Negeri Selangor Darul Ehsan, telah melakukan bunuh dengan menyebabkan kematian ke atas Surendran Kumar a/l Rajandran (No. K/P: 960929-14-6147). Oleh itu, kamu telah melakukan suatu kesalahan yang boleh dihukum di bawah s 302 Kanun Keseksaan."

[2] At the end of the prosecution's case I proffered the accused an alternative charge under s 304(a) of the Penal Code. The accused pleaded guilty unconditionally and thereafter I sentenced him to sixteen years imprisonment from the date of his arrest. The prosecution being dissatisfied have now appealed to the Court of Appeal. My reasons now follow.

[3] The brief facts of the case as stated in the submissions of the DPP is as follows:

3.1 Pada 29 September 2019, jam lebih kurang 7.15 pagi, pengadu iaitu Noorazli bin Zakaria semasa bertugas di Pusat Kawalan DCC IPD Gombak, telah terima panggilan MERS 999 dari 1 perempuan India bernama Kalaiselvi a/p Ravintharan yang memaklumkan terdapat pergaduhan di kawasan Taman Prima Selayang dan ada mangsa telah ditikam.

3.2 Punca pergaduhan adalah akibat perselisihan faham. Saksi-saksi telah melihat pada masa kejadian OKT telah tarik leher si mati dengan tangan kiri dan telah tikam leher si mati dengan menggunakan pisau dengan tangan kanan OKT.

3.3 Si mati ketika itu masih bernyawa dan telah dihantar ke Hospital Selayang dengan menaiki motosikal oleh rakan bernama Vijahnathan a/l Ravintharan. Walau bagaimanapun, si mati telah disahkan meninggal dunia pada hari yang sama pada jam lebih kurang 10.15 pagi oleh Pegawai Perubatan bernama Dr. Sarifah Khadijah binti Syed Ubaidillah.

3.4 Bedah siasat yang dijalankan terhadap si mati oleh Dr. Mohammad Sharafi bin Zaini mengesahkan bahawa sebab kematian si mati adalah 'stab wound to the neck'.

The Law

[4] Section 299 Penal Code - Culpable homicide

Whoever causes death by doing an act with the intention of causing death, or with the intention of causing such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, or with the knowledge that he is likely by such act to cause death, commits the offence of culpable homicide.

ILLUSTRATIONS

(a) A lays sticks and turf over a pit, with the intention of thereby causing death, or with the knowledge that death is likely to be thereby caused. Z, believing the ground to be firm, treads on it, falls in and is killed. A has committed the offence of culpable homicide.

(b) A knows Z to be behind a bush. B does not know it. A, intending to cause, or knowing it to be likely to cause Z's death, induces B to fire at the bush. B fires and kills Z. Here B may be guilty of no offence, but A has committed the offence of culpable homicide.

(c) A, by shooting at a fowl with intent to kill and steal it, kills B, who is behind a bush; A not knowing that he was there. Here, although A was doing an unlawful act, he was not guilty of culpable homicide, as he did not intend to kill B, or to cause death by doing an act that he knew was likely to cause death.

Explanation 1—A person who causes bodily injury to another who is labouring under a disorder, disease, or bodily infirmity, and thereby accelerates the death of that other, shall be deemed to have caused his death.

Explanation 2—Where death is caused by bodily injury, the person who causes such bodily injury shall be deemed to have caused the death, although by resorting to proper remedies and skilful treatment the death might have been prevented.

Explanation 3—The causing of the death of a child in the mother's womb is not homicide. But it may amount to culpable homicide to cause the death of a living child, if any part of that child has been brought forth, though the child may not have breathed or been completely born.

[5] Section 300 Penal Code - Murder

Except in the cases hereinafter excepted, culpable homi