SHAH ALAM, Sept 17 — The mother of Yap Shing Xuen, a girl who was stabbed to death at a Bandar Utama school last year, has backed a petition urging the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to appeal the court’s decision to institutionalise the perpetrator, according to The Star.
Wong Lee Ping said the family respects the court, legal proceedings and judicial process, but feels it has limited avenues as the victim’s family.
“We are neither judges nor prosecutors. We are simply a family that has lost our daughter. We are not asking anyone to prejudge the outcome of the case.
“We only hope that the proper legal process will be given serious consideration, the right to appeal, where legally available, can be duly exercised, and that the voice of a mother who has lost her daughter will be heard,” she said in a Facebook post.
Wong also called on members of the public concerned about school safety and children’s rights and welfare to support and share the appeal.
She urged legal practitioners, particularly those with expertise in criminal law and appellate proceedings, to offer the family guidance and assistance, acknowledging that the decision on whether to appeal and how an appeal should proceed ultimately rests with the prosecution authorities and the legal process.
“Even ordinary lawyers have their limitations in how they can assist us,” she said.
The family is encouraging supporters to sign the petition calling for an AGC appeal and submit their appeal through the AGC’s public complaints system.
Shing Xuen, 16, was stabbed to death by a fellow student in a school toilet last year.
On Monday, the Shah Alam High Court acquitted the 15-year-old suspect on grounds of insanity, following testimony from a psychiatrist that he suffers from schizophrenia. The court ordered the boy be institutionalised at Hospital Bahagia for treatment.
