Malaysian Teen Acquitted of Schoolmate’s Murder Over Mental Illness

A Malaysian teenage boy accused of fatally stabbing his female schoolmate has been acquitted after a judge ruled that he was mentally unsound at the time of the killing.

According to the BBC, the boy, who was 14 when the incident occurred and cannot be named under Malaysian law, killed 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen in a toilet at their secondary school on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

The killing shocked Malaysia and triggered a national debate over the effects of social media on children.

Police had previously said they suspected social media may have influenced the boy, with the case contributing to growing calls for restrictions on children’s access to social media.

The boy had pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. However, his defence lawyers did not dispute that he killed Yap, instead arguing that he had suffered from serious mental health problems for years and should be acquitted on grounds of insanity.

A psychiatrist who testified as an expert witness said the boy had schizophrenia and had experienced mental illness and delusions since he was nine years old.

His condition reportedly deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic and after he returned to school. His lawyers also said he would require medication for the rest of his life to manage his symptoms.

On Monday, the judge acquitted the boy but ordered that he be detained and treated at a psychiatric hospital.

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He will remain at the facility until he is considered fit to return to society and is expected to undergo regular yearly assessments.

A defence lawyer said the boy appeared “neutral in emotion, but he understands what is going on, [that] it’s a very serious matter” after hearing the verdict.

The trial and verdict hearings were held behind closed doors, preventing the public and media from attending.

The case sparked further controversy after police reportedly found a note on the boy when he was arrested. The contents were later leaked online and widely circulated, fuelling discussions about the impact of online content on young people.

The case was also compared by some people to the Netflix series *Adolescence*, which follows a young boy accused of killing a female schoolmate and explores online radicalisation.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was asked last year about the case and other incidents of school violence. Local media quoted him as saying, “almost all of these issues stem from the use of mobile phones and social media”, while promising to consider stricter measures.

Authorities have since introduced new rules aimed at protecting children and limiting their exposure to harmful online content.

Since June, Malaysia has banned children under 16 from having accounts on major social media platforms.