Malaysian faces death penalty for murder of UK medical students
A 23-year-old fishmonger, Zulkipli Abdullah, was charged on Tuesday (Aug 19) with the fatal stabbing of Newcastle University medical students Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger earlier this month (Aug 6), The Guardian reported.
The bodies of the two 22-year-old students from the UK were found lying on the road in Kuching, capital of Sarawak state, Sky News reported.
A total of five Malaysian men were arrested in connection with the two students' deaths, which police said took place after a bar argument.
The fourth-year students were in the Malaysian part of the island on attachment to a hospital and were due to finish their placements on Friday (Aug 8), just two days after they were killed, the publication added.
The defendant has already appeared in a local magistrates' court and no plea was taken, according to BBC. A guilty verdict carries the death penalty.
The four Malaysian accomplice
Sarawak deputy police chief Chai Kin Chung told AFP that the "four other suspects are not facing charges, but will be witnesses for the prosecution".
He added that "three of them saw the killings and the fourth helped dispose of evidence".
The Guardian also reported that the pair, who were on a hospital work placement in Borneo, have been awarded posthumous degrees by Newcastle University.
Sources: The Guardian, AFP, BBC and Sky News
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now