The High Court has ruled that the prosecution has established a prima facie case against a teenage boy accused of murdering 16-year-old schoolmate Ye Xin Xuan, allowing the trial to proceed with the defence case.
During his testimony, the juvenile accused expressed regret over what had happened and apologised for the consequences that led to the victim’s death, according to his lawyer, Feng Ji Xiang.
Feng said that because the accused is a minor, he did not take the stand in the usual manner. Instead, he stood beside the dock and gave unsworn evidence before the court.
The defence then proceeded with its opening submissions after the teenager expressed his remorse over the incident and its fatal outcome.
Feng told reporters during the court’s lunch break that the defence would call Dr Ian Lo Anthony, the director and consultant forensic psychiatrist at the Ulu Kinta Mental Hospital in Perak, to testify in support of the accused’s defence involving mental illness.
He said the Sessions Court had previously ordered the teenager to be referred to the psychiatric hospital, where Dr Ian Lo was responsible for his treatment and assessment.
According to Feng, the psychiatrist has already submitted a written report, which has been admitted into evidence by the court. The defence will now focus on having the doctor explain the findings in the report and clarify the psychiatric medical concepts involved.
The defence is expected to rely on the medical evidence as it presents its case, while the court will ultimately determine whether the evidence supports the accused’s claim relating to his mental state.
