A petition urging the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to appeal the acquittal of a 15-year-old boy in the Bandar Utama school stabbing case has surpassed 60,000 signatures.
The #JusticeForYapShingXuen petition was launched on September 14, the same day the Shah Alam High Court acquitted and discharged the teenager over the death of 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen.
However, the campaign remains well short of its target of one million signatures, with supporters continuing to call for the case to be taken to the Court of Appeal.
The renewed push comes as Shing Xuen’s family continues appealing for its concerns to be heard, with the statutory 14-day appeal period following the High Court decision nearing its end.
The petition, titled “Justice For Yap Shing Xuen: Urge Attorney General to Appeal the Bandar Utama School Murder”, calls on the AGC to consider filing an appeal before the deadline expires.
The Malaysian Judiciary states that either the prosecution or the accused may appeal a judgment within 14 days.
Shing Xuen’s mother, Wong Lee Ping, has also issued an emotional appeal, saying the family understands that the decision to file an appeal ultimately rests with the prosecution and must follow the legal process.
“We are not judges and we are not prosecutors. We are simply the victim’s family who have lost a daughter we loved,” she wrote.
Wong stressed that the family respects the court, Malaysia’s judicial system and the law.
She also clarified that the family was not asking the public to decide the case themselves, but wanted all available legal avenues, including a possible appeal, to be properly considered.
She urged those concerned about school safety, the protection of children and teenagers, and the rights of victims’ families to help amplify their message.
“We hope that the voice of a mother who has lost her daughter will not simply disappear,” she said.
The family has also directed supporters who wish to express their views to the AGC’s SisPAA public complaints system. Wong further appealed to those with knowledge of criminal law and the appeal process to offer appropriate guidance to the family.
The teenager, who was 14 at the time of the October 14, 2025 incident, was acquitted and discharged by the Shah Alam High Court after the court found that he was of unsound mind when the incident occurred.
The court ordered him to be detained at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak for psychiatric treatment, with the duration to be determined under the applicable legal process.
His lawyer said the court accepted the defence of insanity under Section 84 of the Penal Code, while the detention order was made under Section 348 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Shing Xuen was fatally stabbed at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) in Petaling Jaya on October 14 last year.
The case has since drawn widespread public attention, particularly over school safety and the protection of students.
For Shing Xuen’s family, the ongoing petition is not intended to replace the judicial process, but to urge consideration of a further legal review while the appeal window remains open.
