A witness described that the beating of Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) student, cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain who was allegedly murdered, was like watching a boxing match.
The 25th prosecution witness Mohd Syafiq Abdullah, 22, said more than 30 students had come to the room during the first torture session but not all of them were involved in the beating.
“Some of them came to watch and some tried to stop the beating but failed.
“However, I did not know the exact number of people who came to the room to stop the beating,” he said when he was re-examined by deputy public prosecutor Othman Abdullah.
He added that there was a cadet who came and helped Zulfarhan by wiping off his sweats due to the beating.
However, he said the beating continued as soon as the cadet finished helping Zulfarhan.
Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi and Mohamad Shobirin Sabri – are jointly charged with murdering Zulfarhan; while Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali is charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
All six face the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
The six and 13 other students, all aged 22, had pleaded not guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Zulfarhan with the intention of extracting a confession from Zulfarhan for allegedly stealing a laptop.
The offence was allegedly committed at room 04-10 Jebat Hostel Block, UPNM, between 2.30am and 5.30am on May 21 and in the same room between 1.30am and 4.30am on May 22.
The accused were represented by Amer Hamzah, Datuk Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Zamri Idrus, Mohd Fadly Hashim, AG Kalidas, Datuk Hazizah Kassim, Datuk Seri M Ramachelvam and Azizul Shariman.
Zulfarhan was found with burn marks and bruises in an apartment in Serdang at about 8pm on June 1, and was pronounced dead at about 10pm at the Serdang Hospital.
The trial continues on Jan 23 before Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah. – NST