‘The darkest day of my life’: Mum of 16-year-old stabbing victim mourns daughter after classmate’s acquittal

On September 14, 2025, a teenage boy was acquitted of murder in the killing of his 16-year-old female classmate, Yap Shing Xuen, who had been stabbed in a school bathroom. The High Court ruled that the boy, who was only 15 at the time of the incident, was not mentally fit to stand trial. Testimony from a psychiatrist revealed that the boy had been suffering from mental illness since the age of nine and that his condition worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic and his return to school.

While he will not face murder charges, the judge ordered the boy to remain in a psychiatric hospital for treatment and will be evaluated before being released back into society. The boy's mother, Wong Lee Ping, expressed her devastation in a heartfelt Facebook post, describing her daughter as brave, sensible, hardworking, thoughtful, and helpful.

She lamented that October 14, 2025, would be "the darkest and most unacceptable day of my life." Ms. Wong, a single mother of two girls, mourned the loss of her perfect child, who had once promised to take care of her. She shared that her life felt directionless without her daughter and that her heart always felt empty. Ms. Wong continued to fight for justice for her daughter and encouraged others to sign a petition urging Malaysia's Attorney General to appeal the High Court's verdict.