Courts & Sentencing news in Istana Seri Kinabalu
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Man gets six years, two strokes for assaulting underage stepsister
A 22-year-old man was sentenced by the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu to six years in jail and two strokes of the cane for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepsister. The offence took place in November 2025 in the living room of a house in a village in Papar, and he will also undergo counselling and two years of police supervision after release.
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Woman jailed 15 months for false MyKad application
A 40-year-old woman was sentenced to 15 months in jail by the Magistrate's Court in Kota Kinabalu after pleading guilty to giving false information as guarantor for a child's MyKad application. The court heard she used her own biological child's birth certificate for another child at the Tawau NRD in 2023, and had sold that birth certificate to another person.
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Prof Charles acquitted of 21 false claim charges over UMS research funds
The Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court today acquitted and discharged Prof Dr Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan of 21 charges of making false claims involving Sabah marine life research funds. Judge Jason Juga ruled the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case after calling 26 witnesses, so the accused did not have to enter his defence. His bail money was returned and his passport handed back.
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Two China nationals fined RM1,800 each over fake boarding passes at KKIA
Two Chinese nationals were fined RM1,800 each, or seven months' jail in default, by the Magistrate's Court in Kota Kinabalu for using fake boarding passes to exit the domestic arrival hall at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Wei Zhan and Nong Chunzhao pleaded guilty to using forged AirAsia and Batik Air Malaysia e-boarding passes for a Tawau-Kota Kinabalu route on Sept 2, with checks showing they were not recorded as passengers on those flights.
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Undocumented man gets 17 years, five strokes for robbing e-hailing driver
An undocumented man was sentenced by the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu to 17 years in jail and five strokes of the cane for gang robbery. Musa Normani, 32, was found guilty of robbing an e-hailing driver of an iPhone 11 at knifepoint at a Chinese cemetery at Mile 5, Jalan Tuaran, on Aug 2, 2025.
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Document examiner stands by findings on Zara Qairina's handwriting at Sabah inquest
At the Coroner's Court in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday, document examiner Nurul Atiqah Mohd Noh maintained that her conclusion the questioned writings belonged to the late Zara Qairina Mahathir is unchanged, even after hearing the testimony of another forensic handwriting expert, Dr Linthini Gannetion. She said minor scribbles, amendments and different writing instruments do not overturn the finding, and that another expert's inability to conclude does not mean someone else wrote them. The inquest into the 13-year-old student's death resumes in October.
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Ten Vietnamese women fined in Kota Kinabalu court for immigration offences
Ten Vietnamese women were fined by the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu for various immigration offences. Five were fined RM4,000 each for entering Malaysia without valid documents, while the others were fined for overstaying or having irregular passes. All were ordered to be referred to the Immigration Department after settling their fines or serving their jail terms.
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Sabah man jailed for not carrying IC; another fined for stolen goods
A 51-year-old man was sentenced to six months in jail by the Kota Kinabalu Magistrate's Court for failing to produce his identity card during a police raid in Penampang. In a separate case, a 28-year-old driver was fined RM3,000 for retaining stolen welding equipment in Putatan.
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Psychiatrist defends diary assessment in Zara Qairina inquest
At the Coroner's Court in Kota Kinabalu, forensic psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung testified that he also considered positive aspects in the diary of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir. He explained that numerical scoring is not helpful in psychological assessment and stressed the importance of understanding contextual details. Dr Chua also acknowledged that it is impossible to eliminate 100 percent of bias in witness testimony.
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Three sentenced in Kota Kinabalu court for cable theft, gambling, entering vehicle
A 47-year-old man was fined and jailed by the Magistrate's Court in Kota Kinabalu for possessing stolen copper cables. In separate cases, a woman was fined for online gambling and a man was fined for entering a vehicle without a satisfactory reason.
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Father tells coroner's court daughter would have been in permanent coma had she survived
The father of Zara Qairina Mahathir testified at the Kota Kinabalu coroner's court that doctors told him his daughter would have remained in a permanent coma had she survived. He described her critical injuries and his experience at Queen Elizabeth Hospital before she died on July 17 last year. The inquest into the 13-year-old's death continues.
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Inquest: Zara Qairina's father says he was never asked for autopsy consent
The father of Zara Qairina Mahathir testified at the coroner's inquest in Kota Kinabalu that he was never asked for consent to perform an autopsy on his daughter. He described being at Queen Elizabeth Hospital when her death was confirmed and his observations of her injuries. The 13-year-old was found unconscious at her school's hostel before being pronounced dead at the hospital.