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The murder trial of a 15-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing his female schoolmate at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) last year began at the Shah Alam High Court today, 3 August
The New Straits Times reported that the proceedings are being heard in camera before High Court judge Adlin Abdul Majid, as the accused is a minor and cannot be publicly identified or photographed.
The prosecution is expected to open its case by calling the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem examination on 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen.
Yap's mother, Aapple Wong Lee Ping, is also expected to take the stand, where she will identify photographs of her late daughter and other exhibits to be tendered during the trial.
Several teachers from SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4), where the fatal stabbing took place, are among the witnesses expected to testify during the first day of proceedings.
Yap Shing Xuen.
Image via Aapple WongThe trial is expected to run for eight days
The accused was brought to court from the Puncak Alam Correctional Centre, where he has been held pending trial.
A total of 11 prosecution witnesses are expected to testify over the course of the trial, including three child witnesses aged between 13 and 17.
Their evidence will be governed by the Evidence of Child Witness Act 2007.
According to the charge, the teenager is accused of murdering Yap in the girls' toilet at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) in Petaling Jaya between 9.20am and 9.35am on 14 October last year.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge at the High Court in February after a psychiatric assessment found him fit to stand trial.
The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the death penalty, or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, as well as 12 strokes of the rotan upon conviction
However, because the accused was under 18 at the time of the alleged offence, Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001 prohibits the court from imposing the death sentence.
Instead, Section 97(2) provides that a child convicted of such an offence shall be detained at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for offences committed in the Federal Territories, or the Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri for offences committed in a state.
The boy is represented by lawyer Kitson Foong.
The prosecution team comprises deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin, Aqharie Durranie Aziz and Ahmad Iqbal Azman.
Lawyers Datuk Yasmeen Shariff and Jason Lim Jie Sheng are holding watching briefs for the Bar Council and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), respectively.
Lawyer Kitson Foong (right).
Image via Faiz Anuar/New Straits Times