Rabidin Satir alias 'Rambo Bentong' has a date with the hangman's noose.

This follows the Putrajaya Appeals Court upholding his death sentence for killing a Bentong Forestry Department employee, almost five years ago.

A panel of three judges headed by Mohtarudin Baki also upheld the conviction and jail sentence on Rabidin, 47, on four other charges, including two for raping the deceased's wife.

Mohtarudin, who sat with justices Zakaria Sam and Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim said the panel was satisfied the issues raised in Rabidin's appeal did not have merit, and evidence in the case against him were strong.

"The conviction is safe. The appeal was turned down and the conviction and sentence meted out by the High Court stay," said Mohtarudin.

On Dec 3, 2015, the Pahang High Court sentenced Rabidin to death for killing the 31-year-old man at a house in the Forestry Department Housing in Jalan Tras, Bentong, Pahang on Nov 3, 2012.  

The High Court also sentenced Rabidin to 12 years' jail and two strokes of the rotan for brandishing a gun at the victim; eight years' jail and two strokes of the cane for robbery; and 12 years' jail and eight strokes on two charges of raping the deceased's wife.

He was found committing the four offences at the same place, date and time.

This is the second time Rabidin was sentenced to death.

On Aug 6, 2014, the Temerloh High Court handed down a similar sentence upon finding him guilty of murdering a 17-year-old in 2009.

The Appeals Court and Federal Court had upheld the death sentence after rejecting Rabidin's appeal in the case.

For today's case, a medical surgeon in his statement said the skull of the forestry department employee was found cracked with his brain tissue damaged.

The victim had suffered severe bleeding.

According to the murdered man's widow's statement, Rabidin had repeatedly struck her husband's head with a gun while the couple was asleep in the living room of their house.

Rabidin took away a bracelet, ring, mobile phone and a watch before he was arrested by the police, 11 days later, at a spot on a hill in Bentong. A homemade gun and jewellery were recovered.

Counsels Osman Ujang and Azmi Talib represented the appellant while the prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Nadia Hanim Mohd Tajuddin.

- Bernama