AGC appeals High Court acquittal of teen in Bandar Utama schoolmate murder case

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has filed an appeal against a High Court decision that acquitted and discharged a 15-year-old boy of murdering a schoolmate at a secondary school in Petaling Jaya last year.

In a statement today, the AGC confirmed that it filed a Notice of Appeal at the Court of Appeal on September 22, seeking to overturn the Shah Alam High Court’s September 14 ruling that freed the teenager of the murder charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

The statement did not specificy the case, but the material information indicates it is the matter being contested.

The High Court, presided over by Judge Adlin Abdul Majid, acquitted the boy at the close of the defence case after finding that he was of unsound mind at the time of the offence, an outcome the AGC is now contesting before the appellate court.

The case arose from the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old female student in a school toilet between 9.20am and 9.35am on October 14, 2025.

The accused, who was 14 at the time of the incident, was charged under Section 302, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, though Malaysian law bars capital punishment for juvenile offenders under the age of 18.

During the trial, the defence invoked Section 84 of the Penal Code, successfully entering the “unsoundness of mind” defence.

Following the acquittal, Adlin ordered the teenager to be admitted to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak for psychiatric care at the pleasure of the Sultan of Selangor, pursuant to provisions under Section 97 of the Child Act 2001. 

A total of 11 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses, including the accused, testified during the trial, which was conducted in camera due to the defendant’s status as a minor.