Church attack: Five years jail for 'brothers in arson'

By Qayum Rahman - Free Malaysia Today

FULL REPORT KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court today sentenced brothers Raja Muhammad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, 24, and Raja Muhammad Idzham, 22, to five years jail over the arson attack on the Metro Tabernacle church earlier this year.

In her judgment, Judge SM Komathy Suppiah said that she found their testimonies to be inconsistent and that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt.

Both were charged, with several others still at large, on Jan 29 with causing mischief by torching the Metro Tabernacle Church at Jalan 4/4C, Desa Melawati at 11.50pm on Jan 7 this year.

The attack came in the wake of a controversial court ruling to allow a Catholic publication to use the term “Allah” in its Malay edition.

Petrol bombs were also hurled into several other churches, but Metro Tabernacle was the worst hit, with its first floor completely razed.

Meanwhile, Komathy said defence lawyer Hanif Hashim had failed to prove that the brothers were not involved in the incident while evidence from the Chemistry Department showed that both had sustained injuries from the arson.

'Contradictory statement'
She said the statement from the third witness Mohd Hamzam Zainal Abidin had also cast doubts and contradicted the statements from other witnesses.

This, she added, had further strengthened the court's belief that the duo were guilty.

"After evaluating submissions from the deputy public prosecutor and the defence, the court find both the defendants guilty," she ruled.

On July 3, the court acquitted despatch rider Azuwan Shah Ahmad, 23, due to insufficient evidence.

Komathy then had ordered Raja Muhammad Faizal and Raja Muhammad Idzham, who were also despatch riders, to enter their defence.

The judge said the church was deliberately set on fire by a group of men on the night of Jan 7 and although there were four witnesses, they could not positively identify the culprits.

However, she said, in view of the compelling nature of the circumstantial evidence produced, the prosecution had established a prima facie case in respect of the two brothers.