A 15-year-old boy accused of murdering a 16-year-old female student in a stabbing incident at a secondary school in Bandar Utama has been ordered to enter his defence by the High Court here on Thursday.
Judge Adlin Abdul Majid made the ruling after finding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the teenager at the conclusion of the prosecution’s case.
The trial was conducted behind closed doors and attended only by the prosecution, defence lawyers and family members, as the accused was below 18 when the alleged offence took place.
The teenager’s lawyer, Kitson Foong, confirmed the development when contacted by the media.
The defence subsequently began its case by calling only two witnesses — the accused himself and Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta forensic psychiatry consultant Dr Ian Lloyd Anthony.
Earlier, the Petaling Jaya Magistrates’ Court was told on Jan 16 that a psychiatric assessment had found the teenager fit to stand trial.
The accused, who was 14 and a Form One transition class student at the time of the incident, is alleged to have murdered his schoolmate between 9.20am and 9.35am on Oct 14, 2025.
No plea was recorded because murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The charge was brought under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides for the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, along with up to 12 strokes of whipping if the death penalty is not imposed.
However, Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001 states that the death penalty cannot be imposed on a person who was below 18 years old at the time of the offence.
The prosecution is led by deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin, Aqharie Durranie Aziz, Ahmad Iqbal Azman and Nurul ‘Izzati Mohamad.
The defence team comprises lawyers Chew Jee San, Angel Choo and Yan Zhi Wei, while Datuk Yasmeen Shariff and Jason Lim Jie Sheng are observing counsel representing the Malaysian Bar and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).
