KUALA LUMPUR — A 15-year-old boy accused of murdering a female student at a secondary school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, expressed remorse over the incident as he began his defence in the High Court here today.
The teenager, who was ordered to enter his defence after the prosecution established a prima facie case, chose to make 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 proceedings before Judge Adlin Abdul Majid.
Earlier, Foong informed the court that the defence would rely on psychiatric evidence to support its claim that the teenager was of unsound mind at the time of the alleged offence 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 condition, including the referral process, treatment history and clinical findings.
Foong said the defence had questioned the psychiatrist on terms including psychosis and schizophrenia, as well as the contents of a written report that had been submitted to the court.
The doctor, who was the defence’s final witness for the day, testified that the teenager had experienced delusions and mental illness for about five years.
Foong added that the expert believed a prolonged gap in treatment could worsen a person’s mental condition, particularly when the illness develops during childhood.
The witness is expected to continue testifying this afternoon, including possible cross-examination, before the defence closes its case and proceeds with submissions.
The teenager is charged with murdering a 16-year-old girl in a toilet at a school in Bandar Utama between 9.20am and 9.35am on Oct 14, 2025.
The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the death penalty upon conviction. However, Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001 prohibits the death penalty from being imposed on offenders below 18 years old.
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. – August 13, 2026