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Malaysian man sentenced to death for murder of British students Aidan Brunger and Neil Dalton in Borneo
Borneo murders: Malaysian fishmonger to be hanged after conviction for killing two British medical students Aidan Brunger and Neil Dalton
(about 2 hours later)
The parents of two British medical students stabbed to death while in Malaysia on a placement have said they are “pleased” after a man was found guilty of murder, but added that the verdict will not bring their sons back.
A Malaysian man is to be executed after he was found guilty of murdering two British medical students on placement in Borneo.
Newcastle University students Aidan Brunger, of Kent, and Neil Dalton, of Ambergate, in Derbyshire, were killed in Sarawak on the island of Borneo in August last year.
Newcastle University students Aidan Brunger, of Kent, and Neil Dalton, of Ambergate, in Derbyshire, were killed in August last year by a young fishmonger who, prosecutors said, had told friends he wanted to “test his strength” against foreigners.
Zulkipli Abdullah, a 23-year-old fishmonger, was sentenced to death at the high court where prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad said he had told friends he wanted to “test his strength” against bigger and taller foreigners before going after the two men.
Zulkipli Abdullah, 24, denied stabbing the students to death but admitted getting involved in a streetfight with them and two other men outside a bar. He is now expected to be hanged – the mandatory punishment for murder in Malaysia.
The prosecutor said the court ruled that Zulkipli's defence was “merely an afterthought” and failed to raise any reasonable doubt in the case.
The families of the two victims issued a joint statement saying they were “pleased” with the guilty verdict, but added that it would not bring the two men back.
The victims, both aged 22, had been working at a local hospital in Kuching - an area popular with backpackers.
“Our sons would soon have qualified as doctors,” said the victims’ parents Phil and Jan Dalton and Paul Brunger and Sue Hidson.
They were stabbed and killed after an incident in a bistro or cafe in the early hours of the morning, an inquest into their deaths heard last year.
Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger had been on a work placement in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak in Malaysia “Their unprovoked and senseless murders as they were walking home after a night out with other medical students mean that Aidan and Neil will never have the chance to spend their lives caring for and helping others.
Their fathers positively identified their sons' remains when they were flown back to the UK.
“They would have given so much to the world. We are so very proud of both of them and in what they achieved in their all too short lives.”
In a joint statement today Phil and Jan Dalton and Paul Brunger and Sue Hidson paid tribute to their sons, and spoke of the devastation their deaths had caused.
Both aged 22 when they were killed, the victims had been working at a local hospital in Kuching, a popular backpacking destination.
They said: “Since Aidan and Neil were killed on 6 August 2014, our lives have been shattered.
A picture posted to the Facebook group of the elective medical students at the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching They were stabbed and killed after an incident in a bistro or cafe in the early hours of the morning, an inquest into their deaths heard last year. Their fathers positively identified their sons' remains when they were flown back to the UK.
“They were two exceptional young men with such promise - kind, funny and full of life. Their deaths have left their families and many good friends utterly devastated.
The families' British lawyer Kieran Mitchell, from Slater and Gordon, called the attack “savage and unprovoked” and said Mr Brunger and Mr Dalton had “travelled to Borneo with the sole aim of using their medical skills to help people”.
“Neil and Aidan were having a wonderful time in Borneo working in Sarawak Hospital and also travelling around seeing as much of the beautiful country as they could. Both boys said how very welcoming and friendly the people were.
“Since that day the families have put their faith in the Borneo justice system, which is very different to our own, adding further strain and difficulty during this devastating ordeal,” Mr Mitchell said. “After a long and complicated trial they are relieved that justice has been done.”
“Our sons would soon have qualified as doctors. Their unprovoked and senseless murders as they were walking home after a night out with other medical students mean that Aidan and Neil will never have the chance to spend their lives caring for and helping others.
“They would have given so much to the world. We are so very proud of both of them and in what they achieved in their all too short lives.
“Although we are pleased that the man responsible for their murders has been held accountable, the guilty verdict does not bring our sons back.
“We would like to thank our families, friends and everyone who has helped us through these distressing times. We would ask that we are now left to grieve for Neil and Aidan in peace.”
The families' British lawyer Kieran Mitchell, from Slater and Gordon, said: “This was a savage and unprovoked attack which lead to the death of two young men who had travelled to Borneo with the sole aim of using their medical skills to help people.
“Since that day the families have put their faith in the Borneo justice system, which is very different to our own, adding further strain and difficulty during this devastating ordeal.
“After a long and complicated trial they are relieved that justice has been done.”
The death penalty is mandatory for murder in Malaysia.
