NST COURT WATCH: School tragedies, fatal crashes and child abuse [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: The deaths of young people featured prominently in court proceedings this week, from the murder of a 16-year-old girl by her classmate to a student killed in a crash on school grounds and a five-year-old girl killed in a six-vehicle pile-up.

In Batu Pahat, a Form 4 student was charged with murdering his classmate, Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal, at their school in Yong Peng.

In Kota Baru, a teacher claimed trial to negligence charges over a crash that killed a Form 1 student and injured another. In Kuala Lumpur, a 24-year-old motorist denied causing five-year-old Asiah Ahmad Syahir's death through reckless driving.

Two other children's deaths also featured in court proceedings.

In Kota Kinabalu, the inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir concluded witness testimony after hearing from 83 witnesses.

In Johor Baru, the High Court detailed the abuse suffered by a three-year-old boy who died after being mistreated by a man entrusted with his care.

Elsewhere, a lorry driver claimed trial to driving under the influence of drugs in a 12-vehicle pile-up in Shah Alam, while former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak failed in his bid to suspend his 15-year jail sentence and RM11.4 billion fine in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) also obtained permission to challenge the Registrar of Societies' (RoS) decision to suspend its activities, but the High Court rejected its application for an interim stay.

Here are some of the week's major court cases and developments.

TEENAGER CHARGED WITH MURDERING CLASSMATE

A 16-year-old Form 4 student was charged with murdering his classmate, Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal, at the Batu Pahat magistrate's court.

The accused nodded as magistrate Mustaqim Sukarno read out the charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code during closed-door proceedings.

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He was accused of murdering Irene Sofiya at the hall of SMK Dato' Seth in Yong Peng between 2.30pm and 4pm on Oct 3.

Irene Sofiya's family members and members of the public gathered at the court complex to follow the proceedings.

She was found lying in the school hall with bloodstains on her body and bruises that appeared consistent with being beaten.

BYD SEAL DRIVER CHARGED OVER GIRL'S DEATH

The parents of five-year-old Asiah Ahmad Syahir sat in the last row of the public gallery at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court as the man accused of causing their daughter's death in a six-vehicle crash claimed trial.

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Raeven Goh, 24, pleaded not guilty to three traffic offences, including causing Asiah's death through reckless driving along Jalan Kuching on Oct 10.

The bank sales manager also denied driving in a manner that endangered other road users and failing to stop and report the accident.

The court granted him bail of RM36,000 with one surety, ordered him to surrender his passport and suspended his driving licence pending disposal of the case.

TEACHER CHARGED OVER STUDENT'S DEATH AT SCHOOL

A 57-year-old teacher, Sakinah Ismail, pleaded not guilty at the Kota Baru magistrate's court to two charges involving negligence that caused a Form 1 student's death and injured another at SMK Tanjong Mas.

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Sakinah was accused of driving a car that struck the two students within the school compound in April.

The case has drawn attention to student safety on school grounds.

LORRY DRIVER CLAIMS TRIAL OVER 12-VEHICLE PILE-UP

Lorry driver C. Agilan, 51, pleaded not guilty at the Shah Alam magistrate's court to driving under the influence of drugs in a 12-vehicle crash that injured four people.

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He was accused of driving a 10-tonne lorry under the influence of methamphetamine and amphetamine along Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari in Alam Budiman on Oct 9.

The crash, involving 11 other vehicles at a traffic light junction, was captured on video and widely shared on social media.

Agilan also faced a separate charge of self-administering the drugs. His driving licence was suspended pending disposal of the case.

HIGH COURT DETAILS ABUSE OF THREE-YEAR-OLD BOY

The Johor Baru High Court detailed the abuse suffered by a three-year-old boy at the hands of a former e-hailing driver entrusted with his care.

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Chan Wen Jie, 32, was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for abusing the child, who died from his injuries.

In its grounds of judgment, the court described how the boy was forced to eat his own faeces from a diaper, an act it found degrading and unjustifiable.

CCTV footage also showed the child being hit, caned, forced to perform squats and made to stand for prolonged periods.

Chan pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of child abuse after an earlier murder charge was withdrawn. He was convicted and sentenced for abuse.

NAJIB FAILS TO SUSPEND 15-YEAR 1MDB JAIL SENTENCE AND FINE

The Special Corruption High Court dismissed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's application to stay the execution of his 15-year jail sentence and RM11.4 billion fine pending appeal in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption and money laundering case.

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Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin ruled that Najib had failed to establish special circumstances warranting a stay of execution.

The sentence and fine remain in force unless a higher court orders otherwise.

However, Najib's lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said the decision would not affect his client's eligibility to serve the remainder of his sentence in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case under house arrest.