Teen accused of BU school stabbing found fit to stand trial, court told

PETALING JAYA, Jan 16 — The 14-year-old boy charged with murdering a 16-year-old schoolmate at a secondary school in Bandar Utama has been found fit to stand trial, the Magistrates’ Court was told today.

A full psychiatric report from Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak was presented in court, confirming that the accused is mentally fit to understand the proceedings and conduct his defence.

“That (the findings) is most important in that he (the accused) understands the ongoing court proceedings and if required in the future, whether he can defend himself when trial commences,” defence counsel Kitson Foong told reporters.

“This means the case will continue to be heard as part of the court process.”

On October 14, the teenager was charged with murdering the female student in the girls’ restroom of the school. No plea was recorded as murder cases are tried in the High Court.

Following the closed-door proceedings, the court ordered the accused to be placed at the Puncak Alam Correctional Centre in Selangor, which houses juvenile offenders, pending his next court appearance.

Foong added that the court also directed that his client be brought for monthly counselling sessions and to a dentist to maintain his dental braces, which have been neglected since his detention three months ago.

The prosecution will now review all evidence, including the psychiatric and post-mortem reports, before deciding on the next step, which is likely to be the transfer of the case to the High Court for trial.

The case mention has been fixed for February 6.