Remaja kes tikam di sekolah mahu bunuh beramai-ramai, mahkamah diberitahu

A 15-year-old boy, named L, who is accused of murdering his classmate at a school in Bandar Utama last year, has been released from custody after the High Court in Shah Alam ruled that he was not of sound mind at the time of the crime. The boy treated his classmates as non-player characters (NPCs) in a video game, not as human beings, during his psychotic episode, a forensic psychiatrist, Dr Ian Lloyd Anthony, told the court.

Dr Anthony said the boy described his classmates as game objects that were not valuable, harboring a desire to kill multiple people and believing others would lie to the police to make him look guilty. This demonstrated his dehumanization of people around him, notably through referring to them as NPCs, the report highlighted. The assessment was part of Dr Anthony's report, which was revealed in the High Court's judgment today, explaining why the teenager was released from the murder charge due to lack of capacity.

Attorney General Adlin Abdul Majid accepted Dr Anthony's findings regarding the teenager's condition and state of mind at the time of the incident. Dr Anthony diagnosed the boy with schizophrenia, psychopathic and sadistic traits, and a strong genetic predisposition to mental illness due to several family members previously experiencing mental disorders.

He also noted that the boy's condition worsened over the years as he was exposed to the internet, violent video games, and anime content. Family and teachers observed gradual changes in him during the COVID-19 movement control period, particularly becoming withdrawn, isolating himself, and refusing to communicate with family members.

The boy developed a persistent belief that he was not attractive physically and would be ridiculed at school, leading him to wear a mask at all times, a phenomenon known as paranoid delusion, according to the report. Dr Anthony also said the teenager became suspicious of CCTV cameras around him, stating he felt watched. The boy developed an interest in international shooting incidents and murder mysteries, comparing himself to the latter.

The boy treated himself as the latter due to shared experiences of bullying, ostracization, and a desire for recognition. The victim's involvement was attributed to the teenager's growing fascination with a foreign boy who killed a British teacher, which evolved into jealousy, anger, hatred, and a desire to kill her, the doctor explained.

Dr Anthony stated the boy experienced auditory hallucinations in the form of anime characters instructing him to kill the girl.