The family of Mohd Afham Arin, a college student who was gunned down by the police seven years ago, received some consolation when the Court of Appeal yesterday granted damages of RM100,000.

In an unanimous decision, it also awarded RM1,850 in special damages to Arin Abdullah and Sapiah Md Ellah, the parents of Mohd Afham.

Court of Appeal judge Mohd Zawawi Mohd Salleh led the panel with the other judges being Court of Appeal judge Vernon Ong and High Court judge Mary Lim.

According to lawyer Haijan Omar, who also appeared with Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and Joanne Chua, the panel found that the appellants had proven the case that Mohd Afham was shot by the police at Taman Johor Jaya, and died as a result of the three shots fired.

"The court also decided that the police had failed to prove they reacted in self defence. Following that, the court ordered that general damages and special damages be paid," Haijan told Malaysiakini .

It was reported that Sapiah, 58, from Simpang Waha Felda, Kota Tinggi, had claimed that her son Mohd Afham who studied at a college in Ledang, was fatally shot by the police who believed that he and a friend was involved in snatch thefts.

"I'm not satisfied as police also tried to bluff me by saying that my son was alive when I arrived at the Seri Alam police station when he was already dead, after being shot by the police in the early morning of Sept 20, 2009," she had said.

Sapiah and Arin had filed a suit in 2012 against the police and government over their son's death.

Afham's friend Mohd Firdaus Marsani, who was riding pillion that same night, survived the incident.

Six police officers, including then Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar and Sri Alam district police headquarters chief Assistant Superintendent Sahul Hameed Abdul Rahman, were also named as defendants.

The High Court in Johor Bahru had rejected the claim on August 18, 2014.