PUTRAJAYA: Bentong Rambo's death sentence for the murder of a teenage girl was upheld by the Court of Appeal here Thursday.
A panel led by Justice Aziah Ali unanimously rejected Rabidin Satir's (pic) appeal on Thursday, ruling that his conviction for the murder of the 17-year-old girl was safe.
Rabidin, 43, from Tambunan, Sabah was accused of murdering the teen in March 2009 at a village in Bentong, Pahang.
Justice Aziah said there was only one issue for appeal: a question on the validity of the DNA evidence.
However, the panel, which included Justices Rohana Yusuf and Prasad Sandosham Abraham, disagreed with the defence submission on Thursday and affirmed the High Court's decision.
On Aug 6 last year, the Temerloh High Court sentenced Rabidin to hang for murdering the girl.
Justice Ab Karim Ab Rahman ruled the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt, saying the defence was mere denial.
He added that the blood stains on the victim’s clothes matched that of the accused, and the DNA profile retrieved from the victim’s private parts matched that of Rabidin.
The judge, however, dismissed the rape charge as the court could not determine whether the teen was raped before or after her death.
The serial rapist had also been sentenced to 115 years in prison and 50 lashes on Feb 5, 2013, after he pleaded guilty to four counts of rape and one count of committing unnatural sex, between 2009 and 2011.
However, the sentence was reduced to 40 years in jail and 24 strokes of the cane after appeal.
Rabidin earned the notorious nickname because his preferred choice of weapon to threaten and attack his victims was a bowie knife, made popular by the Rambomovies.
