By Irdiani Mohd Salleh

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Two friends were sentenced to death by the High Court yesterday after being found guilty of murdering a Universiti Teknologi Mara lecturer in 2002.

Judge Datuk Muhamad Ideres Muhamad Rapee said the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case.

He convicted sales executive Sulkarnain Alias, 32, and odd job worker Noorman Ab Wahab, 31, of murdering Bakarudin Busu, 35, a lecturer in the Sports Science Faculty of the university, at Jalan SS19/6, Subang Jaya, at 9.30pm on Feb 12, 2002.

The court also found Azizul Azual Jailani, 26, guilty of the murder but he will be sentenced on Dec 11 pending a probation report as he was a youthful offender at the time of the offence.

The three were charged with two others -- Muhammad Zakwan Ahmad Zaki, 26, and former guest relations officer Siti Rahmah Azman Subramaniam, 28.

Siti Rahmah was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal in July 2003 while Zakwan was acquitted at the end of the prosecution's case in August 2007.

Bakarudin's burnt body was found in a monsoon drain near the crime scene the next day.

Ideres, in his judgment, said a mobile phone SIM card belonging to the victim was found with Noorman and he admitted to a friend Muhammad Qaiyyum Abdul Wahab that he had killed someone.

On Azizul's role, Ideres said he had borrowed a decorative sword from his brother and brought it to the place of the incident.

Pathologist Professor Dr K. Nadeson had testified that Bakarudin had died of multiple slash wounds to his head.

He had said a very sharp, long-bladed, heavy object was used to inflict the injuries.

A post-mortem showed that the victim, who sustained 13 injuries, was found in a boxer's crouch with hands flexed and fingers bent, all indicating that the body had been burnt.

Sulkarnain was represented by counsel Suzana Norlihan Alias and Noorman by K. Vikneswaran.

Deputy public prosecutor Nordin Ismail prosecuted.