VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENT'S MURDER: VICTIM RETURNED TO ROOM AFTER BEING PUSHED, SLAPPED IN ROOM 5 BELIAN

TAWAU,  April 15 (Bernama) -- The High Court hearing the murder of Lahad Datu Vocational College student Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan was told today that the victim, after being pushed and slapped in dormitory room 5 Belian, returned to his dormitory room at 7 Resak.

His close friend and dormitory mate, who is the 13th accused, said he followed Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat back to their room.

"At that time, the victim was still okay. I gave him some advice and asked why he stole, but he just kept quiet while playing on his mobile phone.

"After that, he said he wanted to go take a shower and I helped get him his towel and toiletries, then I went to dormitory room 1 Belian to play games and eat instant noodles," said the accused, who is also the 15th defence witness, when reading out his witness statement at the trial before Judge Datuk Duncan Sikodol.

He also told the court that he did slightly slap the victim once on the back.

In his witness statement, the 13th accused also said that he and the other suspects were asked by a teacher known as 'Cikgu Firdaus' to write a confession on A4 paper that they had beaten the victim.

He also claimed that the teacher then handed over the A4 paper to the police by the teacher.

On Feb 28, Judge Duncan ordered 13 teenagers, aged 16 to 19, to enter their defence on a charge of murdering Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat at the Lahad Datu Vocational College between 9 pm on March 21 last year and 7.38 am the following day (March 22).

They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, which provides the death penalty or imprisonment of 30 to 40 years and up to 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.

The prosecution team comprised deputy public prosecutors Nur Nisla Abdul Latif, Ng Juhn Tao and Batrisyia Mohd Khusri.

Eight of the 13 teenagers were represented by lawyers Datuk Ram Singh, Kamarudin and Chen Wen Jye while the other five were represented by lawyers Mohamed Zairi Zainal Abidim, Abdul Ghani Zelika, Vivian Thien, Jhesseny P Kang and Kusni Ambotuwo.

The hearing continues.

-- BERNAMA