SEREMBAN – A jobless man stunned the High Court here with a confession that he killed  four members of his family at their village in Gemencheh, near here, early this year.

However, judcial commissioner Ahmad Nasfy Yasin rejected his guilty plea, reasoning  that Rasidi Ismail, 32, had not sought proper legal advice.

“This court cannot accept your confession as you have not been legally advised of the repercussions of your plea.

"The court also needs to know if you are mentally sound before passing sentence,” he said.

The charges against Rasidi

Rasidi is charged with murdering the four -  sister, Siti Khadijah, 22, father, Ismail Awang, 76, grandmother, Sufiah Katas, 80, and grandfather, Atan Daud, 87 - at  Kampung Batang Rokan, Gemencheh, at between 7am and 11 am on Jan 5.

Siti Khadijah died at a house adjacent to the house where the others were killed.

Rasidi entered a guilty plea soon after the interpreter finished reading the charges.

The interpreter then told Rasidi that since the four charges under section 302 of the Penal Code carried the death penalty, he would be sent to the gallows if he stuck with his decision.

Rasidi stood firm with his decision.

This prompted deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin to tell the court that Rasidi should be allowed to seek the advice of a lawyer before the court accepted his plea.

“In fact, an uncle of the accused who is present in court had, this morning, asked me that his nephew be given access to a lawyer. He had also asked for a court appointed lawyer for Rasidi,” said the DPP.

A gory murder story

Ahmad Nasfy Yasin told the accused that since he was facing four murder charges which provide for the death penalty upon conviction, the court had to exercise caution before accepting his plea.

He fixed March 22 for re-mention of the case.

Prior to the case, Rasidi had reportedly told police that he had acted alone in the crimes.

The manner the murders were committed had shocked his family and villagers.

The accused allegedly decapitated his father and took Ismail's head to Shah Alam where he buried it at a Muslim cemetery in Section 21. He then led police to the cemetery, where the head was recovered.

Rasidi was arrested when he tried to attack a policeman at the Masjid Jamek light rail transit station in Kuala Lumpur a day after the alleged murders.

He had begged for forgiveness from his mother, Zaharah Atan, 59, when they met briefly at the crime scene. She forgave him.

Police have recovered a 25cm long knife, a jacket, shirt and sarong he allegedly wore during the attacks.

Zaharah, accompanied by relatives, was present at the court house Monday.

Met  by the media, she expressed hope that Rasidi’s case would be completed soon.

“I am glad that the court has approved our request for a government appointed lawyer,” she said. — Malaysian Mirror