A 14-year-old boy accused of killing Yap Shing Xuen at a school in Bandar Utama appeared calm and quiet throughout his court proceedings, where he was officially charged with murder today.
He appeared before the magistrate with his parents standing beside him.
According to China Press, the teen showed no visible emotional reaction and nodded to indicate he understood the charge, which was read to him in Mandarin.
During the hearing, Magistrate Amira Sariaty Zainal granted an application for the boy to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, as reported by NST.
The request was made by his lawyer, Anwar Ezzad Zainal, under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which is used when an accused person is suspected of being of unsound mind.
Lawyer Kitson Foong, appearing as amicus curiae (friend of the court), said the evaluation is in the boy’s best interest to determine his mental state and protect him from possible self-harm.
The psychiatric report must address his fitness to plead and his state of mind at the time of the incident.”
The teen was accused of killing Yap in the girls’ toilet of their school on Oct 14.
Teachers and students reportedly tried to restrain the suspect before police arrived and arrested him.
The victim was later cremated on Monday, with hundreds of relatives and friends attending her funeral.
