Lelaki didakwa tikam isteri, ibu mentua

On October 5th, Shahrul Shahrizal Che Shaari, a 47-year-old unemployed man, appeared before the Magistrate's Court in Kota Bahru, Malaysia, facing charges of grievously injuring his wife and mother-in-law with a knife at a residence in Padang Lepai, Ketereh. The court heard separate charges against him, one involving the alleged assault of his wife, Zulaiha Mat Zin, 44, and the second involving the alleged harm to his mother-in-law, Paridah Ismail, 78. Both assaults occurred around 8:30 PM on the same day at the same location.

Shahrul pleaded not guilty to both charges and requested a separate hearing once the charges were read aloud before Judge Zulkifli Abillah and Judge Nik Habri Muhammad. The first charge alleges that he deliberately caused severe injury to his wife using a knife, while the second charge accuses him of causing injury to his mother-in-law using the same weapon.

If found guilty, Shahrul faces a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years under Section 326 of the Offences Against the Person Act, along with the possibility of a fine or both. For the second charge, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, a fine, or both under Section 324 of the same act.

The prosecution was handled by Deputy District Attorney Kamarul Hasyime Rosli and Siti Arina Razali, while Shahrul was represented by counsel Zainal Abidin Mustaffa. The victims' families were represented by observing attorney Nik Saiful Adli Burhan and Che Muhammad Redzuan Jihad. The prosecution refused to offer any guarantees regarding the defendant's case, and Zainal also requested the same, in addition to seeking a psychiatric assessment for his own mental health.

The court subsequently ordered Shahrul to be transferred to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Tanjung Rambutan, Perak, for a one-month psychiatric evaluation, with the next hearing scheduled for November 18th to review the case and arrange for the necessary documents.