TAWAU: The High Court here sentenced thirteen male students from Lahad Datu Vocational College to prison for murdering their seventeen-year-old peer Mohammad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan last year.
Judge Datuk Duncan Sikodol ordered twelve child offenders detained at the pleasure of the Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri under Section 97(2)(b) of the Child Act 2001.
One young offender received a thirty-year jail term with twelve strokes of the cane for his role in the fatal incident.
All teenagers will serve their sentences from the date of their arrest on March 22 last year, with one offender aged nineteen and the others sixteen or seventeen at the time.
Duncan noted the prosecution had sought the death penalty for the young offender but emphasised rehabilitation opportunities.
“The sentence imposed stands as both punishment and a solemn warning where the courts act firmly and such cruelty will not be tolerated,” he said.
He described bullying as a longstanding issue that now carries deadly consequences in modern cases.
“This case is a painful reminder that bullying is never a trivial matter; it destroys lives, robs children of their future and shatters the hopes of parents.”
Duncan stressed that educational institutions must provide safety rather than tragedy for students and families.
The judge found all thirteen students guilty last Friday after they were jointly charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Mohammad Nazmie Aizzat was murdered between 9 pm on March 21 and 7.38 am on March 22 last year in college dormitory rooms.
Defence proceedings began on March 10 this year with eighteen witnesses testifying, including all accused individuals.
The prosecution called twenty-five witnesses during its case opening last November, including students and teachers from the vocational college.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Nur Nisla Abdul Latif, Ng Juhn Tao and Batrisyia Mohd Khusri represented the prosecution team.
Eight teenagers were defended by lawyers Datuk Ram Singh, Kamarudin Mohmad Chinki and Chen Wen Jye throughout the trial.
The remaining five accused had legal representation from lawyers Mohamed Zairi Zainal Abidin, Abdul Ghani Zelika, Vivian Thien, Jhesseny P Kang and Kusni Ambotuwo. – Bernama
