Lahad Datu: The High Court today postponed to July 23 its decision on the case involving 13 male students of Kolej Vokasional Lahad Datu, who are jointly charged with the murder of their college mate Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan, last year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the verdict, initially scheduled for today, was postponed to allow for clarification related to the submissions, as stated by deputy public prosecutor, Nur Nisla Abdul Latif. She mentioned that both the prosecution and defence had submitted their written submissions, with the prosecution's documentation extending to 366 pages.
Nur Nisla informed reporters at the High Court that the defence team, consisting of eight lawyers, had also provided their submissions. On May 14, High Court Judge Datuk Duncan Sikodol had initially set today to decide on the case. However, a notice from the High Court yesterday informed parties of the rescheduling.
On February 28, Judge Duncan ordered the 13 teenagers, aged 16 to 19, to enter their defence against charges of murdering Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat, 17, in the dormitory rooms 7 Resak and 5 Belian at the Lahad Datu Vocational College. The incident occurred between 9pm on March 21 and 7.38am on March 22, 2024.
The students were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, in conjunction with Section 34 of the same Code, which prescribes the death penalty, or up to 40 years' imprisonment and not more than 12 strokes of the cane if convicted.
The defence proceedings began on March 10, with 18 witnesses, including all 13 accused, called to testify. The prosecution opened its case on November 19 of the previous year, during which 25 witnesses, including students and teachers from the vocational college, were called to the stand.
The prosecution team is led by Nur Nisla, along with DPPs Ng Juhn Tao and Batrisyia Mohd Khusri. Eight of the students are represented by lawyers Datuk Ram Singh, Kamarudin Mohmad Chinki, and Chen Wen Jye, while the remaining five students are represented by lawyers Mohamed Zairi Zainal Abidin, Abdul Ghani Zelika, Vivian Thien, Jhesseny P. Kang, and Kusni Ambotuwo.