A Malaysian High Court on Thursday sentenced a Nigerian man to death by hanging after finding him guilty of the murder of his four-year-old step-grandson in a case that shocked the city of Kuala Lumpur.

Justice K. Muniandy delivered the judgment at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, ruling that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that 48-year-old Ibekwe Emeka Augustine intentionally caused the death of the child by throwing him from the third floor of a Setapak apartment building on November 29, 2020.

In pronouncing sentence under Section 302 of the Malaysian Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death penalty for murder, Justice Muniandy said the circumstances of the killing were particularly grave and warranted the ultimate punishment.

According to court records, Augustine was accused of causing the child’s death between 7:45am and 8:15am that morning. The boy’s body was later found on the ground near the apartment after the fatal fall.

In addition to the murder conviction, the court found Augustine guilty on four other related charges arising from the same incident. These included:

• Attempted murder of his biological seven-year-old son;

• Intentionally causing grievous hurt to his wife, who intervened;

• Attempted suicide following the attack; and

• Sexual assault of his 25-year-old stepdaughter.

The judge ordered that these sentences run concurrently with the death sentence, with respective prison terms totalling five years’ imprisonment for the additional offences.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Muniandy described the accused’s actions as inhumane and despicable, noting that the violent acts occurred within the course of a single day and continued even after the accused had grievously injured his wife when she attempted to stop him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Zaileen Nadia Zubir, who led the prosecution team, urged the court to impose the maximum penalty, arguing that the crimes were “self-induced” and involved multiple victims, including a vulnerable child who suffered a brutal death.

In mitigation, defence counsel Zulkifly Awang appealed for a lighter sentence on the grounds that Augustine was a first-time offender and had shown remorse, but the court rejected these arguments.

Moments before the sentence was passed, Augustine was reported to have pleaded for leniency, but the judge affirmed that the evidence and the severity of the offence left the court no alternative.

The convicted man retains the right to appeal the judgment to the Court of Appeal, a legal avenue his counsel has indicated they intend to pursue.

This case has drawn international attention, highlighting issues of criminal justice and capital punishment in foreign jurisdictions, and is among the most severe sentences involving a foreign national in Malaysia in recent years.