Boy ordered to be detained at the King’s pleasure
BY M. MAGESWARIKUALA LUMPUR: The 13-year-old boy who was found guilty of killing his tuition teacher’s daughter by stabbing and slashing her more than 20 times has been ordered to be detained in a prison at the pleasure of the King.
High Court Justice Ahmad Maarop made the order yesterday under Section 97(2) of the Child Act 2001. He also ordered for the boy to be kept isolated from adult inmates at the prison.
The boy, clad in brown cargo pants and a shirt, was grim throughout the proceedings and remained calm when the decision was handed down.
Shortly later, the boy’s family members surrounded and consoled him before handing him a lunch box so that he could eat before being taken to Kajang Prison.
The victim’s mother, who was also in court, said, “The sentence is not important for me. I leave it to the court.”
Her husband said he respected the law.
The Form One student was charged on June 7 last year with murdering the 11-year-old girl at her house here between 3.30pm and 4.30pm on May 30 last year.
The boy, who turns 14 next month, was convicted of the crime on July 1.
Earlier in yesterday’s proceedings, the court heard the probation report on the boy. Welfare officer Sulaiman Ismail, who read the report to the court, said the boy felt remorse over his actions and had repeatedly apologised over the incident.
He added that the boy, who is still traumatised by the incident, had never thought that he would be separated from his family, friends and school environment.
Sulaiman also said the boy aimed to do well in his studies and achieve his ambition to be a lawyer.
Counsel Karpal Singh then urged the court not to send the boy to prison as the consequences would be negative.
He asked the court to consider the recommendations of psychiatrists that “the boy was intelligent, ambitious and that he was among the top 15 students in the E-School programme”.
“The hands of the court are not tied and the court has the discretion under Section 97(3) of the Act which should be used judiciously,” he said.
Justice Ahmad said he was of the opinion that when a child was found guilty of an offence that carries a mandatory death sentence, the court could only impose one order under Section 97(2) of the Act – that the child be detained in a prison at the pleasure of the King.
He then fixed Aug 1 for bail application for the boy pending the appeal on his conviction.
When met later outside the courtroom, Karpal Singh said he would file an appeal today against the sentencing and also for a stay of execution pending the bail application.
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