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TAWAU: The High Court here has ordered 13 Lahad Datu Vocational College students to enter their defence on the charge of murdering fellow student Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan last year.
Justice Datuk Duncan Sikodol ruled that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against all the accused under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
"After examining and evaluating the witness statements throughout the prosecution case, the court orders all of the accused to enter their defence,” he said, setting the defence proceedings for March 10 to 14.
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The 13 students, aged between 16 and 19, are jointly charged with murdering Nazmie Aizzat, 17, at dormitory rooms 7 Resak and 5 Belian of the college between 9pm on March 21 and 7.38am on March 22.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which provides for the death penalty, or imprisonment of 30 to 40 years and up to 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.
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The prosecution was conducted by DPPs Nur Nisla Abdul Latif, Ng Juhn Tao and Batrisyia Mohd Khusri.
Eight of the 13 accused are represented by lawyers Datuk Ram Singh, Kamarudin Mohmad Chinki and Chen Wen Jye, while the remaining five are represented by lawyers Mohamad Zairi, Abdul Ghani Zelika, Vivian Thien, Jhesseny P. Kang, and Kusni Ambotuwo. – Bernama
