Teen acquitted of schoolmate's murder after court accepts insanity defence
A 15-year-old was found not guilty of killing his 16-year-old classmate after the High Court ruled he was of unsound mind and ordered his detention for treatment.
The High Court in Shah Alam acquitted a 15-year-old boy of murdering a 16-year-old schoolmate at a Bandar Utama secondary school, accepting the insanity defence under Section 84 of the Penal Code. Judge Adlin Abdul Majid directed that the youth be confined to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak for psychiatric care, subject to the Sultan of Selangor’s discretion. The defence successfully proved the mental state, and the prosecution could not refute it, according to the boy’s lawyer Kitson Foong.
Why it matters
It illustrates how Malaysia's insanity defence can lead to acquittal and mandatory psychiatric detention.
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