Malaysian Man Sentenced For Killing 2 British Students

A 23-year-old Malaysian fishmonger accused of killing two British medical students on the island of Borneo was sentenced to death Tuesday.



Judge Justice Chew Soo Ho ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Zulkipli Abdullah, who boasted to friends of wanting to "test his strength against taller, bigger and stronger foreigners," was guilty of the stabbing attack, according to the Malaysian Insider. 



Zulkipli was sentenced under a penal code section that comes with a penalty of mandatory death by hanging.



On Aug. 6 last year, Aidan Brunger and Neil Gareth Dalton – both 22 -- had an altercation with Zulkipli and three of his friends at an all-night cafe, before leaving the venue early in the morning to walk to their backpackers lodge.



Zulkipli and his friends allegedly decided to chase the students with a car, which Zulkipli exited while the other three remained inside.



The fourth-year students at Newcastle University had been just three days away from completing a six-week practical training at Sarawak state's General Hospital.



Police tracked Zulkipli through information from an eyewitness, and based off the registration number of the vehicle he and his friends were onboard.



The knife used to kill Brunger and Dalton was recovered from a cupboard in Zulkipli's bedroom after having been cleaned.



Zulkipli denied stabbing the students, but admitted to the Kuching High Court that he had been involved in a fight with them and punched one.



Kuching, a tourist town where violent crimes are not common, had been stunned by the stabbings.



Present to hear the sentencing Tuesday were officials from the British High Commission and Brunger's father Paul, who declined to speak with media.



With the permission of Justice Chew, the elder Brunger read a statement in court saying the families of the victims had been devastated since the killings.



"They were two exceptional young men with such promise -- kind, funny and full of life," he said, according to the Insider.



"Neil and Aidan were having a wonderful time in Borneo working in Sarawak hospital and also travelling around, seeing as much of the beautiful country as they could. Both boys said how very welcoming and friendly the people were."



The grieving father added that the young victims "would have given so much to the world. We are so very proud of both of them and in what they achieved in their all too short lives."



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara