Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah located at Keramat, Kuala Lumpur was burned down three years ago on September 14, 2017. The fire caused the death of 23 individuals who were trapped in the house.
A teenage boy and his friend were accused of causing the fire and the teenager was charged with murder for the deaths of the 23 people, that entails a death penalty if convicted.
However, Section 97(1) of the 2001 Children’s Act states that offenders under the age of 18 cannot be given a death penalty but will be given a jail sentence set by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
At 2.30pm today, the Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge made a ruling and found the teenager guilty on all charges. As the teenager committed this offence when he was 16, Judge Azman Abdullah said the accused was detained pending the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in accordance with Section 97 of the Children’s Act 2001.
Astro AWANI reported that the accused’s lawyer said that the client agrees with the decision, and apologizes to all parties for the hardship caused. An appeal at the next level will be made in the near future.
What do you think of this ruling? Let us know in the comments section!
Also read: Arrested Teens in Tahfiz School Fire Case Showed No Remorse, “Didn’t Even Say They Were Sorry”