An unemployed Malaysian man, who claimed he was insane when he beheaded his father and cut the body into six parts five years ago, has failed to set aside his death sentence.

A three-member Court of Appeal bench, chaired by Justice Kamaludin Said, was unconvinced by 57-year-old You Poh Khoon’s defence on the grounds of insanity.

“The defence was unable to rebut the expert evidence of the prosecution witness on the appellant’s mental health at the time the incident took place,” Justice Kamaludin said on Monday in dismissing the appeal.

The man was charged with murdering his 74-year-old father, Mr You Su Kim, between Oct 8 and 9 in 2018 in a house in Ipoh, Perak.

According to media reports, neighbours reported hearing father and son arguing the night before the murder, believed to be over the use of drugs by the younger You.

Police said You was believed to be under the influence of drugs when he severed the elderly man’s head and cut the body into six parts.

The incident came to light when You’s sister noticed blood on a mattress, a pillow and the walls of You’s house, reported the New Straits Times.

The police were called, and they found the remains in a 1.5m-deep underground sewage tank and a hole that was dug up behind the house. They also recovered a long machete from the scene of the crime.

On May 24, 2022, the Ipoh High Court sentenced You to death by hanging after he was found guilty of killing his father.

He subsequently appealed against the court’s conviction.

The Court of Appeal’s ruling on Monday is not the end of the road for You. He can file a final appeal to the Federal Court.