A teenage boy who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old girl at their school in Malaysia has been acquitted of murder after a judge ruled he was mentally unsound at the time of the attack. The boy killed Yap Shing Xuen after stabbing her multiple times in a toilet at their secondary school on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
The teenager, who was 14 at the time of the killing, cannot be named under Malaysian law because he is still a minor. He had pleaded not guilty to murder, with his lawyers arguing during the trial that he had suffered from poor mental health for years and should be acquitted on the grounds of insanity. Defence lawyers did not deny that the teenager had killed Yap.
Psychiatric evidence and verdict
A psychiatrist giving evidence at the trial said the boy had schizophrenia and had suffered from mental illness and experienced delusions since he was nine years old. His condition was said to have deteriorated during the Covid pandemic and after he eventually returned to school. Lawyers said he would need to take medication for the rest of his life to manage his symptoms.
On Monday, a judge acquitted the teenager but ordered that he be detained and treated at a psychiatric hospital. He will remain at the hospital until he is considered fit to return to society and is likely to undergo assessments each year.
Reaction and national debate
Speaking after the verdict, a defence lawyer said the teenager appeared "neutral in emotion, but he understands what is going on, [that] it's a very serious matter". Both the trial and verdict hearings were held behind closed doors, meaning members of the public and media were unable to attend.
The killing shocked Malaysia and prompted a nationwide debate about the impact of social media on children. Police had previously said they suspected social media may have influenced the boy. Much of the discussion surrounding the case was fuelled by the contents of a note police found on the teenager when he was arrested, which was later leaked online and widely circulated. Some people compared the case to Netflix drama Adolescence, which follows the story of a young boy accused of killing a female schoolmate and explores online radicalisation.
Policy response
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was questioned last year about the killing and other cases of violence in schools. He was quoted by local media as saying that "almost all of these issues stem from the use of mobile phones and social media", and vowed to consider tougher measures. Authorities have since introduced new rules aimed at protecting children and reducing their exposure to harmful online material. Since June, children under the age of 16 have been banned from having accounts on major social media platforms in Malaysia.
