By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, June 11: A 14-year-old boy has been ordered to spend the next three years at Henry Gurney School after he admitted to burning eight of his dorm mates with a hot iron while they were asleep in their hostel earlier last month.
The teenager, a Form Two student, was found to have committed the act as a form of bullying, targeting his schoolmates in a late-night incident that shocked the school community.
Magistrates Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan, Ling Hui Chuan, and Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali issued the order today after reviewing a behavioural report from the Social Welfare Department. The case was handled under provisions of the Child Act 2001.
The court also instructed the boy’s parents to visit him at the reform school at least once every two months. Upon completing the three-year placement, he will be placed under the supervision of a probation officer for one year.
The teenager faced eight separate charges for causing injury using a dangerous object, an offence under Section 324 of the Penal Code. The victims, all aged between 13 and 15 years old, suffered burns to their shoulders, legs, and calves.
The attack took place at a secondary school hostel in Matang between midnight and 2am on May 2. The victims were reportedly asleep when the suspect used a heated iron to inflict the injuries.
School authorities were first alerted when one of the students sought medical attention for a burn on his arm. A further briefing with hostel students led to more reports of injuries.
Suspicious of the identical burn patterns, staff began an internal probe.
The school’s prefects later identified the suspect and brought him forward, along with witnesses who claimed to have seen the incident. During questioning by teachers, the boy confessed to the act.
Police reports were lodged by teachers, parents, and the victims themselves. The injured students were treated at Sarawak General Hospital.
The prosecution was led by ASP Arman Ibrahim and Inspector Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin, while the boy was represented by Russell Lim and Brendan Ting of the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK). – DayakDaily
