PETALING JAYA, June 6 — Former police inspector Ahmad Rizal Umar, 43, who brutally murdered his girlfriend 14 years ago in a jealous rage, has had his death sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal, according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

It was reported that Rizal used a knife to stab his girlfriend, Kartini Borhan, 27, at her rented apartment in Taman Andika, Keningau, Sabah, in the early hours of September 29, 2011.

Evidence revealed that Rizal inflicted 10 injuries on Kartini, including a second horrific stab wound that was fatal.

After committing the murder, Rizal staged the scene to appear as a robbery gone wrong.

He inflicted injuries on himself to support his fabricated story, then filed a false police report claiming an intruder had attacked both of them, FMT reported.

However, forensic evidence contradicted Rizal’s account. A pathologist testified that his injuries were self-inflicted and inconsistent with those from a struggle with an assailant.

The Court of Appeal, in its decision, emphasized the seriousness of Rizal’s betrayal of his duty as a police officer.

Justice Wong Kian Kheong said Rizal had violated his oath under Section 13 of the Police Act 1967 to “obey, uphold, and maintain the law.”

“By murdering the deceased, the appellant betrayed his declaration,” Wong said, adding that the panel exercised its discretion to affirm the death penalty on grounds of public interest, according to FMT.

The motive for the crime was reported to be a love triangle, with claims that Kartini was having an affair with another man.

FMT reported that last September, a three-member bench chaired by Justice Supang Lian dismissed Rizal’s appeal against his conviction and sentence. Wong delivered the written grounds for the decision this week, paving the way for Rizal to appeal to the Federal Court.

Deputy public prosecutor Amril Johari argued for the death penalty, citing Rizal’s status as a law enforcement officer who had brutally attacked his victim and shown no remorse. Rizal’s lawyer, Ram Singh, assisted by Chen Wen Jye, sought a lesser sentence, highlighting his status as a first offender and father of two children.

FMT noted that the Court of Appeal upheld the death sentence to send a strong message to police officers about the importance of upholding the law.