Two teenage boys were charged in the Temerloh Magistrate’s Court with the murder of a 14-year-old girl whose body had 45 stabbed wounds and was found floating in a river.
The duo – clad in orange lockup uniforms – appeared calm when they were produced in court today.
Zamirul Aliff Mohd Zaki, 19, and a 15-year-old boy, who could not be named because of his age, acknowledged that they understood the charge read out to them before Magistrate Najwa Hashim today.
No plea was recorded as the case comes under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The boys were charged with killing Nur Amira Abdullah by a river bank at the Triang Oil Palm Estate in Bera between 1.10am and 3.30pm on Oct 25.
The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, provides for the death penalty, upon conviction.
However, even if found guilty, the boy – due to him being underage at the time of the alleged offence – would not face the death sentence.
If convicted, he instead could be whipped, fined or detained at a special school per Section 91 (1) of the Child Act 2001.
Najwa set no bail and fixed Jan 24 next year for mention after Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Hajar Mustaffa said the prosecution was still waiting for the chemist and autopsy reports.
Zamirul Aliff and the other boy, who attended college and school, respectively, were arrested on Dec 18. They were unrepresented in court.
Pahang Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Othman Nanyan had said that Nur Amira’s body was found floating in Sungai Triang by members of the public at 3.30 pm on Oct 26.
“The autopsy showed 45 stabs to the chest, abdomen, back of the body, both arms, and the left leg which caused injury to the lungs, and are believed to have been caused by a knife.
“The cause of death is due to multiple stab wounds to the torso,” said Othman in a statement on Thursday.