The prison sentence of Arun Kamalasanan, who in 2018 was sentenced to 27 years in jail for the murder of Kerala man Sam Abraham in Melbourne, was reduced by three years on Friday.
36-year-old Arun, who was the lover of Sam’s wife Sofia, had been accused of murdering him by poisoning him with cyanide-laced orange juice. While Arun was sentenced to 27 years in jail with a minimum of 23 years, Sam’s wife Sofia, was jailed for 22 years in jail, with a minimum of 18 years.
Arun’s jail term has now been reduced to 24 years and his non-parole period has been reduced from 23 years to 20 years.
While reducing Arun’s term, the Supreme Court of Victoria on Friday found his sentence to be disproportionate as compared to Sofia’s. The court was hearing an appeal by the two against their convictions.
According to a local news report, the judges stated that the verdict had exposed Sofia’s role as a ‘full and willing participant’ and ruled that since both had played an equal role in the murder, a longer sentence for Arun was not warranted. The court, however, dismissed Arun’s and Sofia's appeals against their convictions.
Sam was found dead in his home in Epping, Melbourne on October 13, 2015, and his death was initially thought to be due to a cardiac arrest. However, an autopsy report revealed that Sam had been poisoned with cyanide. It was found that Arun had drugged the whole family, including Sofia and her then six-year-old child, after which, he forced Sam to drink orange juice laced with cyanide.
Sofia and Arun were arrested after months of police surveillance on the duo. Undercover police found that the duo was spending time together and had even started a joint bank account. The police also recovered Sofia's diary in which she had written about her love for Arun.
According to reports, Sam had given some hint about problems between him and Sofia when he had gone to his hometown Kollam before his death. The report says that he had given a warning to his relatives that the next time, he would be brought in a coffin and also told his father that his body should be buried near his grandfather’s grave.