KUALA LUMPUR: Australian citizen Dominic Jude Christopher Bird, who could face the death penalty if found guilty of drug charges in Malaysia, claims he was set up after accusing an ex-policeman of having a fling with his girlfriend. Bird, 33, was arrested at a cafe near his apartment in Kuala Lumpur in March last year during a police sting operation. Originally from the southern Perth suburb of Success, the 33-year-old faces a mandatory death penalty if convicted of supplying 167 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer. Bird told the court on Tuesday, the first day of a four-day trial, that he was arrested days after breaking up with Katarina Popovic, who returned to Perth. He has also been charged with drug use. His lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah criticized forensic analysis work carried out by police, saying they had failed to test a sufficient amount of the drugs in order to take the case to trial. Police told Bikyanews.com at the beginning of the trial that the man had attempted to sell undercover officers some 167 grams of meth and was arrested shortly after. He is to face two charges, one of which could carry the mandatory death penalty. According to Australian media, at the time of his arrest, police said Bird and a number of alleged associates had been under surveillance and that the sting was part of an ongoing narcotics operation. It is yet another drugs case involving an Australian in Malaysia. Last fall, an Australian woman was set free by Malaysian authorities after she was arrested on similar drug charges in a case that sparked international attention and involved the Australian government interceding on her behalf. BN
