15 January 2009 :

a 38-year-old man was sentenced to death by the Malaysian High Court for murdering prominent lawyer Fabian Lim Ann Hoaw three years ago. Judge Datuk Clement Allan Skinner held that the killing of Fabian was not an accident but a planned murder by Lim Kiang Chai. Lim was charged with murdering Fabian in front of Fu Xiang Food Centre in Rubber Road at 6.15pm on Feb 18, 2005. He was alleged to have committed the offence with another person still at large. One of the state's most successful lawyers, Fabian was shot four times on the neck and chest at close range as he was driving his car out of the food centre with his wife. Skinner said Lim admitted to the whole murder plan, that he was the motorcycle rider who was later paid RM9,000 while the gunman identified as Ah Bee received RM24,000. Police investigations revealed that Fabian was shot dead to prevent him from representing a client in court in a matrimonial matter.