“Sorry daughter, we will continue to seek justice for you.” Those were the words from the mother of 16yo schoolgirl Yap Shing Xuen after the High Court ruled today that the teenage boy accused of killing her was not guilty of murder.
The court accepted the teenager’s insanity defence, finding that he was legally insane at the time of the incident.
For Shing Xuen’s family, however, the ruling does not mark the end of their search for answers. Her mother, Wong Lee Ping, expressed her grief in a brief statement following the decision, saying she would continue to seek justice for her daughter.
The teenager was not acquitted because the court found that the stabbing did not happen. Instead, the defence argued that he was suffering from severe mental illness at the time and was therefore unable to understand the nature or wrongfulness of his actions.
What happened in court?
The High Court accepted the defence under Section 84 of the Penal Code, which deals with acts committed by a person who, because of mental illness, is incapable of understanding the nature of the act or that it is wrong or contrary to law.
Defence lawyer Kitson Foong said the court accepted both the medical and legal aspects of the insanity defence. The defence had called a court-appointed psychiatrist, Dr Ian from a psychiatric hospital in Ulu Kinta, Perak, who testified about the teenager’s mental condition.
According to the defence, the teenager had schizophrenia and was experiencing psychosis, including hearing voices and believing that he was a “god”. The condition was described as severe and aggressive.
The prosecution, which called 11 witnesses during the trial, was unable to rebut the insanity defence, while the defence called two witnesses, the accused and the psychiatrist. The defence also did not dispute that the stabbing and death had occurred. The key issue before the court was the teenager’s mental state at the time.
He will now be sent for psychiatric treatment
Although the teenager was found not guilty of murder, he was ordered to be sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment under Section 348 of the Criminal Procedure Code. His release will be subject to further consideration after the relevant medical assessment and report are made to the Selangor Sultan.
High Court judge Adlin spent more than 40 minutes reading the approximately 80-page judgement, setting out the arguments from both sides and explaining the reasons behind the decision.
The trial began on Aug 3, with the prosecution completing its case on Aug 11. On Aug 13, the court ruled that there was a prima facie case and ordered the teenager to enter his defence.
The case dates back to Oct 14, 2025, when Shing Xuen was stabbed at around 9.20am in the girls’ toilet on the ground floor of a secondary school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya. The teenager was initially charged at the Magistrates’ Court on Oct 22, 2025, before the case was transferred to the High Court. He claimed trial to the murder charge on Feb 12, 2026.
Under the Child Act 2001, a person below 18 cannot be sentenced to death.
For Shing Xuen’s family, the court ruling brings a new chapter to a case that has already taken away their daughter, but her mother’s message shows that they are not ready to stop seeking justice for her.
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