Businesswoman gets 16 years' jail for splashing acid on two women

PUTRAJAYA - A businesswoman who splashed acid on two woman will have to serve 16 years in jail after she lost her appeal to have her jail term run concurrently.

A Court of Appeal three-member bench led by Justice Datuk Yaacob Md Sam, dismissed Shafiqah Izzati Badrul Hisham's appeal after ruling that the High Court was correct to order her to serve the two eight-year jail sentences consecutively as there were two separate victims.

The other two judges presiding on the bench were Justices Datuk Wira Ahmad Nasfy Yasin and Datuk Nordin Hassan.

Shafiqah Izzati, 25, pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court to two charges of splashing acid that caused injuries to her aunt, Rafzaliza Rafli, 36, and Nadia Mohd Khalid, 38, who is a friend of her aunt.

She committed the offences in a house in Jalan Kencana, Taman Kencana Phase 2, Pandan Perdana, Selangor at 3.30 pm on Jan 29. 2019.

The Sessions Court imposed eight years’ jail sentence on Shafiqah Izzati for each charge but ordered her to serve the sentences concurrently which meant she would only serve eight years in jail.

It also ordered the jail term to begin from Jan 30, 2019, the day she was arrested by police.

The prosecution, however, appealed against that decision to the High Court which then maintained the eight-year jail term for each of the charges but ordered Shafiqah Izzati to serve the sentences consecutively.

She then filed an appeal against her sentences to the Court of Appeal, seeking to reinstate the Sessions Court's order that she was to serve the jail sentences concurrently.

Both women suffered injuries to their faces and bodies in the acid attack. Lawyer Jay Moy Wei Jiun represented Shafiqah Izzati while deputy public prosecutor Parvin Hameedah Natchiar appeared for the prosecution. - BERNAMA