SHAH ALAM: A teenager, on trial for the murder of a schoolmate at a secondary school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, last year, expressed remorse over the incident while testifying in the High Court.
The 15-year-old, who was ordered to enter his defence after the prosecution established a prima facie case, chose to give an unsworn statement from the dock.
“He said he was sorry for what happened that caused the death and so on,” defence lawyer Kitson Foong told reporters after the hearing before Justice Adlin Abdul Majid.
Earlier, Foong informed the court that the defence would rely on the expert testimony of a psychiatrist to support a claim of unsoundness of mind under Section 84 of the Penal Code.
Dr Ian Lloyd Anthony, from Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, was called as an expert witness under Section 45 of the Evidence Act 1950, to testify on the teenager’s mental state, including the referral process, treatment and clinical findings.
Foong said the defence had questioned the expert on psychiatric terms, such as psychosis and schizophrenia, in addition to the written report already filed.
The final witness, the doctor, testified that the teenager had suffered from delusions and mental illness for about five years, Bernama reported.
Foong added that the expert believes a long treatment gap could worsen mental illness, especially when it begins in childhood.
The teenager is charged with murdering a 16-year-old girl in a school toilet between 9.20am and 9.35am on Oct 14, 2025.
The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the death penalty. However, under Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001, the penalty cannot be imposed on offenders under 18 .
Instead, under Section 97(2) of the same Act, the court may order the offender to be detained for a period determined by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Sultan, or the Yang di-Pertua Negeri.
On Oct 22, 2025, the teenager was charged in the Petaling Jaya Magistrate’s Court with murder after his schoolmate was stabbed to death.
On Jan 30, the prosecution obtained the Attorney General’s Chambers’ consent under Section 177A of the Criminal Procedure Code to transfer the case to the Shah Alam High Court, after a psychiatric evaluation confirmed the teenager was fit to stand trial.
On Feb 12, the teenager pleaded not guilty after the charge was re-read to him in Mandarin before Justice Adlin.
