'Cosplay killer' escapes the gallows in Malaysia

Court of Appeal instead sentences him to 22 years for death of his 15-year-old girlfriend

Poon Wai Hong was accused of murdering teenager Ng Yuk Tim on Oct 21, 2013, and dumping the suitcase containing her body in Shah Alam. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Poon Wai Hong was accused of murdering teenager Ng Yuk Tim on Oct 21, 2013, and dumping the suitcase containing her body in Shah Alam. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

PUTRAJAYA • A self-employed man in Malaysia dubbed the "cosplay killer" has escaped the gallows for the 2013 murder of his teenage girlfriend whose remains he stuffed in a suitcase, The Star reported.

Poon Wai Hong, 29, was sentenced to death by Malaysia's High Court last year for murdering a 15-year-old cosplay fan five years ago.

A three-member Court of Appeal chaired by Datuk Kamardin Hashim, in substituting the charge to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, said there was merit in Poon's appeal.

Poon was on Thursday sentenced to 22 years in jail from the date of his arrest in 2013, The Star report said.

He had been accused of murdering teenager Ng Yuk Tim on Oct 21, 2013, in Kampung Cempaka, Kelana Jaya, and dumping the suitcase containing her body in Jalan Kebun Nenas in Shah Alam.

The girl was believed to have gone to the man's house the previous day to get help with some cosplay costumes.

Poon's lawyer Rajpal Singh told the court that his client had intended to have sex with the teen but a friend interrupted the duo. Poon then went out and when he returned, the girl did not want to have sex anymore, resulting in the couple engaging in a fight, news agency Bernama reported.

Mr Singh submitted that Poon was trying to stop the victim from shouting when she bit his hand. He then pushed her to prevent her from attacking him with a stun gun.

Poon said that by the time he found his spectacles, which were knocked off his face, he saw the girl had fallen and hit her head on a dumbbell, and was lying motionless.

Mr Singh said Poon panicked and stuffed the body in a suitcase instead of calling the authorities.

According to Bernama, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurshafini Mustafha said the prosecution would be filing an appeal against the decision with the Federal Court.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 14, 2019, with the headline 'Cosplay killer' escapes the gallows in Malaysia. Subscribe