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Man killed mother's lover with hammer to protect family honor

An Australian student accused of killing his mother's lover with a hammer in a bid to protect his family's honor has been convicted of murder.
/ Source: msnbc.com staff and news service reports

An Australian student accused of killing his mother's lover with a hammer in a bid to protect his family's honor has been convicted of murder.

A New South Wales state Supreme Court jury found Andrew Iskandar, 21, guilty on Monday of the 2010 slaying of Mohd Shah Saemin in Sydney.

Prosecutors say Iskandar fatally beat Saemin, 43, because Saemin was having an affair with Iskandar's mother.

During the trial, crown prosecutor Kara Shead alleged the "honor killing" was planned after the affair became a talking point among Sydney's Indonesian community, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Crown witness Nada Bayley testified that she saw Saemin's attacker "bashing him like a piece of meat."

Iskandar said he acted in self-defense.

Iskandar's mother, Indonesian-born Nita Iskandar, 47, is a Malaysian consulate worker. She has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory for allegedly helping her son flee to Singapore after the killing of Saemin, who was a work colleague.

Andrew Iskandar faces a sentence of up to life in prison.