Verdict in tahfiz fire murder appeals rescheduled to Sept 11

PUTRAJAYA; The Court of Appeal has rescheduled its decision in the appeal brought by a teenager convicted of the murder of 23 people in the 2017 fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz Centre. The new decision date is set for September 11. Additionally, the court will also rule on the prosecution’s appeal against the High Court’s decision to acquit and discharge another teenager for the same offence. Both the prosecution and the defence have been notified of this date change through a letter dated June 20.

The Court of Appeal was initially scheduled to deliver its verdict on July 14, but this date has now been vacated. Lawyer Haijan Omar, representing the defendants, confirmed the rescheduled decision date. The three-member panel of Justices Datuk Abu Bakar Jais, Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, and Datuk See Mee Chun of the Court of Appeal had earlier fixed July 14 to announce their decision in the appeal, following submissions from deputy public prosecutor How May Ling and Haijan.

In August 2020, the teenager, now 22 years old, was convicted by the High Court for the murders and ordered to be detained at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Meanwhile, another teenager, also 22 years old, was acquitted and discharged without entering a defence. The charge alleges that both teenagers, who were 16 at the time, along with an unidentified individual, were responsible for the murders and deaths of 23 people at the tahfiz centre in Wangsa Maju on September 14, 2017, between 4:15 am and 6:45 am.

During the appeal hearing, Haijan argued that no witnesses testified to the teenager setting fire to the school, suggesting that the prosecution relied solely on circumstantial evidence to support its case. In the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of the second teenager, the deputy public prosecutor How stated that there must have been more than one perpetrator involved in the fire, as it would have been impossible for a 16-year-old to lift two gas cylinders weighing 28kg simultaneously. – Bernama