My Criminal Practice
Even though I have conducted criminal cases for my entire career in practice, twenty-plus years now, doing everything from minor crimes of theft to attempted murder in the subordinate courts …
When our reputation needs no defence
It was a High Court court-assigned counsel case. My client and another were charged with the murder of a man. Although according to the prosecution’s case, the other guy shot …
In Someone Else’s Clothes
I recently went down for a hearing in Johor Bahru High Court for a criminal matter. It was to examine a witness. The examination was not expected to take long; …
Adducing Evidence after Trial
In a civil or criminal case, all the evidence in support of a civil claim, criminal prosecution or defence to either of them must be brought before the trial judge …
Losing my first death sentence appeal
In my thirties, despite having a clutch of capital punishment trials under my belt, and arguing matters in the Court of Appeal, I had not yet done any capital punishment …
The Sure Win Case
I call such cases ‘sitters’. I don’t often get sitters. Rarely, actually. But that’s fine with me. On the regular, I’d prefer not to do sitters. If I did, I …
Advocacy lesson: Set ’em up quick, take ’em down slow
There was an occasion when I saw Amer open his cross-examination on an investigating officer (IO) in a case we did together with Amer’s partner, Edmund Bon, in Ampang many …
Right up to the hilt | From the Atelier
Jun Kit was recommended to me by a friend who saw my call out for artists on social media. I checked out his portfolio and liked the impressionistic feel of …
The Time Amer Found Crime
Amer Hamzah and I took our Certificate of Legal Practice (‘CLP’) course at the University of Malaya (UM) when they used to run it. The time we took it was …
Hasan Ali and Me | Part Four
If Hasan Ali and me were a three-act play; we were now at the point of confrontation. I waited for Rahman to calm down. “He has a sword?” “Yes. He …
Hasan Ali and Me | Part Three
Just before I took Hasan Ali on, between the period of 2012 to 2016, I had the good fortune to meet and establish friendships or working relationships with a few …
Hasan Ali and Me | Part Two
Lude Hasan Ali was my friend’s legal aid client. Hasan Ali was convicted after pleading guilty to an offence under section 6(1) of The Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive …
Hasan Ali and Me | Part One
Prelude Many years ago when I was a young lawyer taking up criminal cases from the Bar Council Legal Aid Centre (Kuala Lumpur) (“LACKL”), I came across a case that …
To argue or not to argue?
I once had a dilemma; it was when I conducted a criminal appeal in the Court of Appeal. It was for a charge of drug trafficking, an offence punishable with …