SHAH ALAM: The nickname “The Boy With The Face Mask”, given to the accused, emerged as a focal point in the murder trial of a 16-year-old female student in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.
Astro Awani reported that the nickname was revealed at the Shah Alam High Court on Thursday (Aug 13) when the accused’s lawyer, Kitson Foong, said it was among behavioural changes observed in the teenager over the past few years.
According to Kitson, psychiatric expert witness Dr Ian Lloyd Anthony of Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta recorded that the accused frequently wore a face mask even after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“His schoolmates called him ‘The Boy With The Face Mask’ because he almost never removed it, to the extent that people around him rarely saw his face,” he told reporters outside the court here.
Kitson said the information was obtained through Dr Ian’s interviews with the accused’s teachers and schoolmates to assess changes in his behaviour and mental health background.
He also argued that symptoms of the accused’s mental disorder were first detected after the pandemic and allegedly worsened without adequate early treatment.
“We take the view that our client’s mental condition must be given serious consideration under Section 84 of the Penal Code on unsoundness of mind,” he added.
Kitson said the cross-examination of Dr Ian on Thursday involved about 100 questions and would continue on Aug 26.
The accused had previously opted to give an unsworn statement from the dock and also apologised for the incident.
He is charged with murdering the teenage girl in a toilet at a secondary school in Bandar Utama on Oct 14, 2025.
The defence proceedings are expected to conclude on Aug 26, before written submissions are filed on Sept 3.
