Murderer of baby loses appeal

Murderer of baby loses appeal

SINGAPORE: A Singapore man convicted of killing a 6-month-old Indonesian baby found dead in a rubbish chute lost his appeal of his death sentence, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The Court of Appeal upheld Soosainathan Dass Saminathan's conviction for murdering the girl at his Singapore flat on Aug. 5, 2002, The Straits Times said.

The 41-year-old jobless man had been sentenced to death on July 15.

Both his and the baby's bloodstains were found on various items in his bedroom and the girl had been sedated, tied and sexually abused, the prosecutor said.

The rubbish chute where the body was found was connected to Soosainathan's flat.

The baby and her mother, Widiyarti Kartanom, a 28-year-old maid, were occupying one of the rooms at the flat after arriving in Singapore the previous day from the Indonesian island of Batam.

They had come to visit the child's father, Jalil Hameed, 26, an Indian national.

Soosainathan's lawyer said Monday that neither the forensic evidence nor the time of death were conclusive. -- DPA