Lamha sentenced to 15 years for role in Mary murder
Earlier on Wednesday, Marvin S.Y. Vargas was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of the murder of his wife.
The Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced Haleemath Lamha Abdul Rahman, a former nurse at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), to 15 years, four months and 15 days in prison for her role in the murder of Mary Grace Oneda Pineda, a Philippine nurse who also worked at IGMH.
The court previously found Lamha guilty of planning and assisting in the murder of Mary alongside her husband, Marvin S.Y. Vargas.
According to the prosecution, Mary was killed on 19 October 2021 at her apartment in Ma. Udhuhey Kokaage after she was assaulted and suffocated.
Last month, the court convicted Lamha on three charges:
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Complicity in premeditated murder.
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Carrying out an activity requiring a permit without authorisation.
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Unlawfully exercising control over another person's property.
The court found that Lamha helped plan the murder, looked after Mary and Marvin's child while the offence was carried out, and later returned to the apartment to assist in staging the death as a suicide.
The court also found that Lamha removed controlled medication from IGMH without authorisation, provided it to Marvin and instructed him on its use. The medication was later recovered from her residence.
In Wednesday's sentencing hearing, the court imposed the following penalties:
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Complicity in premeditated murder: 15 years' imprisonment.
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Unauthorised activity requiring a permit: One month and 15 days' imprisonment.
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Unlawfully exercising control over another person's property: Three months' imprisonment.
The combined sentence is 15 years, four months and 15 days.
After deducting the time already spent in custody, Lamha will serve a remaining sentence of 11 years, 10 months and 15 days.
Before sentencing, Lamha asked the court to replace the prison term with house arrest, community service or a fine.
Her defence argued that she is the only child of her mother and has been responsible for her care since the death of her father in 2016. The defence also submitted that Lamha could support her mother if placed under house arrest, citing her experience in tailoring and tutoring children.
The defence further argued that Lamha had no previous criminal record and described her role in the offence as one of medium-level participation.
The prosecution opposed any alternative sentence.
In delivering the sentence, presiding judge Muzammil Naseer said the circumstances of the offence did not justify a reduced sentence. The judge noted that Lamha had taken part in efforts to conceal the cause of Mary's death and found that her involvement in the offence warranted the sentence imposed.
Earlier on Wednesday, Marvin S.Y. Vargas was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of the murder of his wife.
