Appeals court verdict in tahfiz fire murder appeals rescheduled to Sept 11

PUTRAJAYA - The Court of Appeal has rescheduled to Sept 11 to deliver its decision in an appeal brought by a teenager who was found guilty for the murder of 23 people in a fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz Centre in 2017.

The court will also decide on the same day on the prosecution’s appeal against the High Court’s decision to acquit and discharge another teenager for the same offence without calling him to enter defence.

The court had earlier fixed this Friday (July 14) to give its verdict. This date has been vacated.

The prosecution and the defence in the case have been informed by the court of the change of the decision date via a letter dated June 20, this year.

Lawyer Haijan Omar, when contacted, confirmed the decision date has been rescheduled.

On May 11, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal comprising Justices Datuk Abu Bakar Jais, Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk See Mee Chun fixed July 14 to give their decision for the appeal after they completed hearing submissions from deputy public prosecutor How May Ling and Haijan who is representing the two teenagers.

On Aug 17, 2020, the teenager, who is 22 years old now, was convicted by the High Court for the murder offence and he was ordered to be detained at the pleasure of the Yang-di-Pertuan Agong.

At the same time, the High Court acquitted and discharge another teenager, also aged 22 years old now, for the same offence without calling him to enter defence.

According to the charge, both teenagers, who were 16 years old then, together with another unidentified individual, were accused of murdering and causing the death of the 23 people staying at the tahfiz centre at Jalan Keramat Hujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat, Wangsa Maju here, between 4.15 am and 6.45 am on Sept 14, 2017.

At the hearing of the appeals, Haijan had argued that no eyewitness testified that the teenager set fire to the school, adding that the prosecution only relied on circumstantial evidence to support their case.

Meanwhile, in the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of the second teenager, deputy public prosecutor How May Ling submitted that the fire must have been caused by more than one perpetrator as it was impossible for a 16-year-old boy to lift two gas cylinders weighing 28 kilogrammes in one go. - BERNAMA