KUALA LUMPUR: An unemployed man who murdered his girlfriend in a hotel room toilet four years ago was sentenced to death by the High Court here.

Cheong Kam Kuen, 44, remained calm when he was convicted of murdering Liew Pai Sea, 23, at the Hotel Fujisan in Jalan Barat here between 11pm on Feb 22, 2005, and 7am the next day.

Liew's naked body was found in the toilet with her hands and legs tied with electrical wire.

"The accused had intended to kill Liew," said High Court Judicial Commissioner Justice Azman Abdullah.

In mitigation, lawyer Lee Teong Hooi said Cheong had planned to marry Liew, a guest relations officer, but his house had been seized by loan sharks.

They had been living in the hotel for six months before Cheong murdered his girlfriend of five years. Liew's body was discovered after blood seeped out from the room to the hotel corridor where it caught the attention of a hotel staff.

Forensic pathologist Dr Siew Sheue Feng, from Kuala Lumpur Hospital, who conducted a post-mortem, stated that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Liew had 101 injuries.

Cheong, from Perak, had testified under oath that he had been "gravely provoked" when Liew admitted to having another boyfriend.

DPP Ahmad Fuad Othman submitted that Cheong, who had a previous conviction for possession of a firearm, should be sentenced accordingly so as to send a clear message to others contemplating such an offence.