A Malaysian court charged a 14-year-old boy with the murder of a 16-year-old schoolmate on Wednesday, in a case that has stunned the nation and raised pressing concerns about violence among its children.
The teenager appeared before the Petaling Jaya Magistrate’s Court at 10am, where the charge was read aloud by Judge Amira Sariaty Zainal.
Proceedings were held behind closed doors under Malaysia’s Child Act 2001, which protects the identities of minors involved in criminal cases.
But court documents seen by This Week in Asia show that the boy stands accused of killing the victim, whose name was redacted, at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) – a secondary school located some 14km (9 miles) west of central Kuala Lumpur – at around 9.30am on October 14.
The teen suspect, whose identity has been withheld due to his age, was charged under Section 302 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, which carries either the death penalty or up to 40 years’ imprisonment alongside at least 12 strokes of the cane.
