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Daily Express
3 hours ago
- Daily Express
Jail for causing death of Sabah courts head
Published on: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 11, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Sun, 42, was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction. SIBU: A Chinese national who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving resulting in the death of Sabah State Courts director Marutin Pagan, was Tuesday sentenced to five years' imprisonment and fined RM20,000, in default three months' jail, by the Magistrate's Court here. Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court Judge Rosli Ahmad, to whom the case was previously reassigned, ordered that Sun Xue Song's jail term take effect from the date of his arrest on March 30. Advertisement Sun, 42, was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction. Rosli said the court took into account the accused's plea of guilt, the circumstances of the offence, mitigation presented and the broader public interest. 'I accept the accused's guilty plea and convict him as charged. After considering all circumstances, I sentence him to five years' imprisonment from the date of arrest and a RM20,000 fine, in default three months' imprisonment,' he said. The court also ordered that Sun be disqualified from holding a driving licence for five years from the date of the charge and for his passport to be returned upon completion of his sentence. In mitigation, Sun's counsel Terence Tiong Ing Jie submitted that the accused, an engineering graduate, had lawfully entered Malaysia for employment to support his 70-year-old mother and seven-year-old son. He further noted that the accused had no prior convictions, had fully cooperated with the authorities, voluntarily surrendered himself following the accident and expressed sincere remorse over the victim's death. 'The accused made a bereavement payment of RM70,000 to the deceased's wife, not as an attempt to seek leniency but as a sincere act of compassion,' said Tiong. The court was also informed that the collision occurred along a known accident-prone stretch of Jalan Kanowit-Durin. According to the statement of facts, the incident occurred on March 30 at approximately 1 pm when the accused was driving a Proton X70 along Jalan Kanowit-Durin towards the Kanowit roundabout. At the same time, a Toyota Fortuner driven by Margaretha Jeramy Marutin, with four passengers, including the deceased, Marutin Pagan, was already navigating the roundabout. Sun failed to stop and give way at the designated road markings and dangerously entered the roundabout, resulting in a collision which caused the Fortuner to overturn and land on its side outside the roundabout. Marutin sustained multiple injuries and was rushed to Kanowit Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. A post-mortem confirmed the cause of death as 'head and chest injuries due to a road traffic crash.' Sun initially claimed trial on April 7 before Magistrate Romario Jonoi but changed his plea to guilty during pre-trial case management on May 16. The case was initially handled by Magistrate Oon Kork Chern, who later recused himself due to a personal acquaintance with the deceased. The matter was then reassigned to Judge Rosli Ahmad. Deputy Public Prosecutor Cynthia Emmelda Jerry conducted the prosecution. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
20 hours ago
- The Sun
Chinese national jailed five years for fatal crash involving Sabah state courts director
SIBU: A Chinese national who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving resulting in the death of Sabah State Courts director Marutin Pagan, was today sentenced to five years' imprisonment and fined RM20,000, in default three months' jail, by the Magistrate's Court here. Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court Judge Rosli Ahmad, to whom the case was previously reassigned, ordered that Sun Xue Song's jail term take effect from the date of his arrest on March 30. Sun, 42, was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction. Rosli said the court took into account the accused's plea of guilt, the circumstances of the offence, mitigation presented and the broader public interest. 'I accept the accused's guilty plea and convict him as charged. After considering all circumstances, I sentence him to five years' imprisonment from the date of arrest and a RM20,000 fine, in default three months' imprisonment,' he said. The court also ordered that Sun be disqualified from holding a driving licence for five years from the date of the charge and for his passport to be returned upon completion of his sentence. In mitigation, Sun's counsel Terence Tiong Ing Jie submitted that the accused, an engineering graduate, had lawfully entered Malaysia for employment to support his 70-year-old mother and seven-year-old son. He further noted that the accused had no prior convictions, had fully cooperated with the authorities, voluntarily surrendered himself following the accident and expressed sincere remorse over the victim's death. ALSO READ: Sabah state court director Marutin Pagan dies in two-vehicle crash 'The accused made a bereavement payment of RM70,000 to the deceased's wife, not as an attempt to seek leniency but as a sincere act of compassion,' said Tiong. The court was also informed that the collision occurred along a known accident-prone stretch of Jalan Kanowit-Durin. According to the statement of facts, the incident occurred on March 30 at approximately 1 pm when the accused was driving a Proton X70 along Jalan Kanowit-Durin towards the Kanowit roundabout. At the same time, a Toyota Fortuner driven by Margaretha Jeramy Marutin, with four passengers, including the deceased, Marutin Pagan, was already navigating the roundabout. Sun failed to stop and give way at the designated road markings and dangerously entered the roundabout, resulting in a collision which caused the Fortuner to overturn and land on its side outside the roundabout. Marutin sustained multiple injuries and was rushed to Kanowit Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. A post-mortem confirmed the cause of death as 'head and chest injuries due to a road traffic crash.' Sun initially claimed trial on April 7 before Magistrate Romario Jonoi but changed his plea to guilty during pre-trial case management on May 16. The case was initially handled by Magistrate Oon Kork Chern, who later recused himself due to a personal acquaintance with the deceased. The matter was then reassigned to Judge Rosli Ahmad. Deputy public prosecutor Cynthia Emmelda Jerry conducted the prosecution.
The Sun
20 hours ago
- The Sun
Chinese national jailed 5 years for fatal crash in Sibu
SIBU: A Chinese national who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving resulting in the death of Sabah State Courts director Marutin Pagan, was today sentenced to five years' imprisonment and fined RM20,000, in default three months' jail, by the Magistrate's Court here. Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court Judge Rosli Ahmad, to whom the case was previously reassigned, ordered that Sun Xue Song's jail term take effect from the date of his arrest on March 30. Sun, 42, was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction. Rosli said the court took into account the accused's plea of guilt, the circumstances of the offence, mitigation presented and the broader public interest. ALSO READ: Chinese national pleads guilty to causing death of Sabah court director 'I accept the accused's guilty plea and convict him as charged. After considering all circumstances, I sentence him to five years' imprisonment from the date of arrest and a RM20,000 fine, in default three months' imprisonment,' he said. The court also ordered that Sun be disqualified from holding a driving licence for five years from the date of the charge and for his passport to be returned upon completion of his sentence. In mitigation, Sun's counsel Terence Tiong Ing Jie submitted that the accused, an engineering graduate, had lawfully entered Malaysia for employment to support his 70-year-old mother and seven-year-old son. He further noted that the accused had no prior convictions, had fully cooperated with the authorities, voluntarily surrendered himself following the accident and expressed sincere remorse over the victim's death. ALSO READ: Sabah state court director Marutin Pagan dies in two-vehicle crash 'The accused made a bereavement payment of RM70,000 to the deceased's wife, not as an attempt to seek leniency but as a sincere act of compassion,' said Tiong. The court was also informed that the collision occurred along a known accident-prone stretch of Jalan Kanowit-Durin. According to the statement of facts, the incident occurred on March 30 at approximately 1 pm when the accused was driving a Proton X70 along Jalan Kanowit-Durin towards the Kanowit roundabout. At the same time, a Toyota Fortuner driven by Margaretha Jeramy Marutin, with four passengers, including the deceased, Marutin Pagan, was already navigating the roundabout. Sun failed to stop and give way at the designated road markings and dangerously entered the roundabout, resulting in a collision which caused the Fortuner to overturn and land on its side outside the roundabout. Marutin sustained multiple injuries and was rushed to Kanowit Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. A post-mortem confirmed the cause of death as 'head and chest injuries due to a road traffic crash.' Sun initially claimed trial on April 7 before Magistrate Romario Jonoi but changed his plea to guilty during pre-trial case management on May 16. The case was initially handled by Magistrate Oon Kork Chern, who later recused himself due to a personal acquaintance with the deceased. The matter was then reassigned to Judge Rosli Ahmad. Deputy public prosecutor Cynthia Emmelda Jerry conducted the prosecution.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Chinese national gets five years' jail for causing death of Sabah State Courts director
SIBU: A Chinese national has been sentenced to five years' jail for causing the death of Sabah State Courts director Marutin Pagan, 56, in an accident. Sessions Court judge Rosli Ahmad ordered on Tuesday (June 10) that Sun Xue Song, 42, was to serve the prison term from March 30, the date of his arrest. ALSO READ: Director of Sabah State Courts Marutin Pagan dies in car accident Sun was also fined RM20,000 in default three months' jail and disqualified from holding a driving licence for five years from April 7, the date he was charged. Sun had initially entered a not guilty plea when the charge was first read to him by a court interpreter before Magistrate Romario Jonoi. On May 16, he changed his plea to guilty during pre-trial case management before Magistrate Oon Kork Chern. ALSO READ: Foreigner remanded a further three days over fatal accident in Sibu Oon then recused himself from hearing the case further because of his acquaintance with the victim, and it was then scheduled for reassignment before Sessions judge Rosli. According to the facts of the case, the engineer was accused of driving a sports utility vehicle dangerously, causing Marutin's death at the Kanowit roundabout near Sibu at around 1pm on March 30. He was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by dangerous or reckless driving, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction. Sun's counsel Terrence Tiong said in mitigation that his client was a first-time offender with no previous convictions in Malaysia or his home country. ALSO READ: Chinese national pleads guilty to causing death of Sabah Court Director He had also surrendered to the authorities and cooperated fully during the investigation, Tiong added. Tiong said the accused had also taken steps to help the victim's family. "Despite his limited financial means, he made a bereavement payment to the deceased's wife, not in the hope of leniency or forgiveness, but out of compassion and a sense of moral duty," he said. He contended that a long custodial sentence would also hurt Sun's innocent dependents, including his mother, 79, and his seven-year-old son, who is still in primary school and would be left without a means of support or a caregiver. DPP Cynthia Emmelda Jerry urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence as the accused had caused emotional trauma to the victim's family. She also said public interest had to be taken into consideration.
