KUALA LUMPUR: “My hope for him is that he becomes a better person,’’ said the father of the teenager who was freed for murder over the death of 23 people in a fire at Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah here, almost three years ago.
Expressing gratitude to Allah that his son had been acquitted and discharged on the murder charge by the High Court here today, the man said his hope for his son is like that of all parents.
“All parents want their child to be a good person, but what happened to him was fated, I accept it. Alhamdulilah, I’m grateful to Allah that he has been freed and after this, I want him to be a better person,” said the 56-year-old father when met by reporters after the court proceeding ended today.
The teenager, when asked by reporters, said he was lost for words and only nodded his head when he was asked about his friend, who was charged with him, and was ordered to enter his defence on the charge.
The two friends, both 16 at the time of the tragedy, were jointly charged with murdering and causing the death of the 23 people at the tahfiz centre at Jalan Keramat Hujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat, Wangsa Maju here, between 4.15am and 6.45am on Sept 14, 2017.
They were charged with 23 counts of murder each, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, which provides the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
However, judge Datuk Azman Abdullah ordered the other accused to enter his defence on the charge after finding that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against him.
Those killed in the tragedy were 21 students and two teachers, who were trapped on the third floor of the religious residential school hostel. - Bernama
