WA man tells Malaysia court 'I was set up' PERTH man Dominic Jude Christopher Bird, who may 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. Bird had moved to Malaysia to find new customers for his personal training business and employed a former policeman-turned-security guard, named Redzal, as his driver and to help him recruit clients. But the relationship soured after the Australian accused Redzal of having a fling with Ms Popovic. The following day, Bird was found to have drugs inside a packet of potato chips but he claims an undercover policeman, Inspector Luther Nurjib, had brought them along. Bird's lawyer Tania Scivetti said Redzal had earlier introduced Bird to Insp Nurjib, a close friend who he believed could help source personal training clients in the police force. Redzal had then threatened Bird after he made the accusation about the affair, warning that bad things were coming his way, Ms Scivetti said. "Luther (Nurjib) sided with Redzal and eventually set up Dominic," she told AAP. There was a bag already on the table. There were no fingerprints on the potato chip packet or even on the drugs. Ms Scivetti said she and Bird's other lawyer Muhammed Shafee had started separate contempt proceedings against Nurjib after he threatened a certain witness who a judge had ordered him to stay away from. That witness would be put forward by the defence after Bird was re-examined on Wednesday, she said. Ms Scivetti said she and Mr Shafee were confident he would be acquitted.