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After a former Bandar Utama school student accused of killing Yap Shing Xuen was acquitted of murder on the grounds of insanity, her mother has said she would continue to fight for justice
Aapple Wong, the single mother of 16-year-old Shing Xuen, who was fatally stabbed by the suspect in the girls' toilet at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) on 14 October last year, has spoken publicly following the Shah Alam High Court verdict today, 14 September, saying she is sorry she could not protect her daughter.
Her Facebook post came after the High Court acquitted the boy of murder after finding that he was of unsound mind when the stabbing took place.
For Wong, the loss was not only of the daughter she had raised, but of the future she believed they still had ahead of them.
She wrote that she had imagined seeing Shing Xuen finish her studies, find a job she loved, fall in love, get married, and eventually take care of her mother.
"I thought there would still be so much time ahead," she wrote.
Shing Xuen had been making plans for that future herself.
The teenager had hoped to enter the Account stream in Form Four before eventually studying Design or Finance Management. She arranged her own tuition and was active in sports, playing badminton and volleyball.
Her mother recalled how Shing Xuen even arranged training and competitions outside school when there were no volleyball competitions available through her school, eventually winning a silver medal.
Wong and her two daughters.
Image via Aapple WongThe post also included smaller memories that showed how much Shing Xuen cared about her mother
When she was in Form One, she worked at the school shop during recess, earning RM1 a day, and around RM20 a month.
She told her mother she would simply eat bread during recess. Her mother later realised that the teenager may have been trying to avoid asking her for money.
With her first pay, Shing Xuen bought her mother an ice cream.
She also remembered her mother's birthday and Mother's Day, saving her pocket money and ang pow money to buy gifts and occasionally arranging a surprise cake.
Wong remembered one promise in particular.
"Mommy, when I grow up, I'll take care of you."
That promise made the loss harder to reconcile.
In her post, the mother recalled Shing Xuen apologising for the money she had spent on tuition and other activities.
"I'm sorry, Mommy, for always spending so much of your money learning this and that," the teenager had told her.
Her mother responded by telling her that she had never been a burden.
"You are my child, and giving everything for you is something I will never regret in my entire life," she wrote, adding that being Shing Xuen's mother was the happiest and proudest thing in her life.
Almost a year after Shing Xuen was killed at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) on 14 October 2025, her mother said the pain had not simply disappeared with time
She can still be reminded of her daughter by ordinary things and places, holidays, trips, and everyday moments.
"She was just beginning her life," she wrote.
Following the verdict that ended the murder case against the boy, she made clear that she does not consider her fight over.
"I'm sorry, my daughter. We will continue to fight for justice for you."
Yap Shing Xuen and her mum, Aapple Wong.
Image via Aapple Wong