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A 14-year-old boy charged with the murder of his 16-year-old female schoolmate in Bandar Utama will undergo a psychiatric evaluation at Bahagia Psychiatric Hospital
Petaling Jaya Magistrate Amira Sariaty Zainal ordered the evaluation today, 22 October, granting an application by the boy's lawyer, Anwar Ezzad Zainal, under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which covers cases where an accused is suspected of being of unsound mind.
Lawyer Kitson Foong, who appeared as amicus curiae (friend of the court), confirmed the order during the charge proceedings, reported the New Straits Times.
He said the application was made in the boy's best interests to ensure he receives treatment for his own protection against self-harm, if an illness is confirmed.
"The psychiatric report must address his fitness to plead, whether he is capable of entering a plea and understanding the nature of the proceedings today. More importantly, is his state of mind at the time of the commission of the offence," Foong was quoted as saying.
The boy is accused of murdering his schoolmate in the girls' toilet of SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) in Bandar Utama on the morning of 14 October
The charge was read out to the boy in Mandarin by an interpreter. His identity is withheld as he is a juvenile..
According to the New Straits Times, the suspect, dressed in a T-shirt and long trousers, nodded to show he understood the charge but did not enter a plea, as murder cases are under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
He remained silent throughout the proceedings, with his parents standing beside him.
While the charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the death penalty, or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, and 12 strokes of the rotan upon conviction, offenders under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to death under Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001.
The court set 21 November for the submission of forensic and pathology reports.
Deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin represented the prosecution, alongside Aqharie Durranie Aziz, Nur Sabrina Zubairi, and Nurul 'Izzati Mohamad.
The victim, Yap Shing Xuen, 16, was cremated on Monday after a funeral attended by hundreds of relatives and friends.
