DAP wants AGC briefing after teen’s acquittal in BU school stabbing case

DAP has urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers to immediately arrange an official briefing with the family of a teenager fatally stabbed at a school in Bandar Utama following the acquittal of the 15-year-old boy charged with her murder.

Wanita DAP chief Teo Nie Ching said it is necessary for the prosecution to exercise compassionate criminal justice by addressing several key aspects with the family and their lawyers.

“The family deserves a thorough breakdown of why the court reached its conclusion based on medical evidence, and what the court’s order for psychiatric detention under Section 348 of the Criminal Procedure Code actually entails,” she said in a statement.

She said the AGC must advise the family on whether the prosecution intends to file an appeal and explain the legal merits or limitations of doing so.

Teo, who is also the deputy communications minister, said justice must not only be done, it must also be clearly understood and felt by those who have suffered the ultimate loss.

“Victims’ families should never be left to navigate the aftermath of complex court rulings in isolation or through news headlines alone,” she said.

Yesterday, the mother of the 16-year-old victim urged the public to sign a petition calling on the AGC to appeal the acquittal of the accused.

Yap Shing Xuen’s mother, Wong Lee Ping, said the family’s legal avenues were limited as the decision to file an appeal and how it should be pursued ultimately rested with the prosecution.

The Shah Alam High Court acquitted the boy on Monday, finding that he was of unsound mind when the offence was committed.

Justice Adlin Abdul Majid nonetheless ordered the boy to be detained at the pleasure of the Selangor sultan at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak, where he will undergo treatment.