The Alor Setar High Court today sentenced a salesman to death after finding him guilty of murdering his fiancee two days before their wedding in August 2006.

Justice Zamani A Rahim passed the sentence on Raja Saiful Nizam Raja Ali, 27, saying the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt.

Raja Saiful Nizam was found guilty of having killed Rohayu Kasa, then 28, on a slope of Bukit Tanjung Jaga, Jalan Yan-Tanjung Dawai, near here between 12.01am and 4am on Aug 29, 2006.

The court heard that Rohayu, who was from Pengkalan Bujang, Merbok, near here, was hit with a hard object and serious injury to the head caused her death. Her semi-nude and blood-stained body was recovered from the area.

It also heard that Raja Saiful Nizam and Rohayu, who were to have married on Aug 31, 2006, had quarrelled after she told him that she was pregnant, but he maintained that they had never had sexual relations.

After the judge passed sentence, Raja Saiful Nizam calmly turned to look at his family members, including his mother who was in tears, before he was led to the lockup.

Raja Saiful Nizam was represented by counsel G Ravishankar who had appeared on behalf of M Chandran while Deputy Public Prosecutor Ridha Abdah Subri appeared for the prosecution.

- Bernama