KOTA KINABALU: Thirteen Lahad Datu Vocational College students, who allegedly fatally beat up a college mate in March for “stealing” money, have claimed trial in the High Court to a joint murder charge.
The teenagers, aged between 16 and 19, pleaded not guilty to murdering Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan, 17, at the college’s hostel. Their pleas were recorded before Tawau High Court judge Justice Duncan Sikodol.
All the accused nodded their heads when their charges were read out by a court interpreter.
The court scheduled a 10-day trial period, with hearing set to start from Nov 18 to 22 and Nov 25 to 29. They are charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which provides for the death penalty or imprisonment for 30 to 40 years, and not exceeding 12 lashes, upon conviction.
The boys were accused of murdering Mohamad Nazmie at Dormitory Room 7 Resak and 5 Belian at the Lahad Datu Vocational College between 9pm on March 21 and 7.38am on March 22.The prosecution is expected to call between 10 and 12 witnesses.
All the accused will be remanded at the Tawau prison while awaiting trial. Nine of the 13 teenagers are represented by lawyers Kamarudin Mohmad Chinki, Datuk Ram Singh, Amirul Amin Rashid and Chen Wen Jye, one by lawyer Abdul Ghani Zelika and the remaining three are unrepresented.
Police arrested them on March 22 after the hostel warden found Mohammad Nazmie dead.Initial police investigations showed that the victim was beaten up because he was suspected of “stealing” RM85 that two other boys said was “missing”.
