I found student unconscious, warden tells murder trial

I found student unconscious, warden tells murder trial

Muhammad Nuhrullah Aminuddin, the prosecution's second witness, says there were injuries on the victim’s lips.

Thirteen students of Lahad Datu Vocational College were charged with jointly murdering 17-year-old Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan in March. (Facebook pic)
TAWAU:
A hostel warden at the Lahad Datu Vocational College testified in the High Court here that he found student Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan unconscious in his hostel room.

Muhammad Nuhrullah Aminuddin, 30, the prosecution’s second witness, said the second accused in the murder case had informed him at 6.35am on March 22 that the victim was having a seizure.

“I rushed from my house, which is not far from the boys’ hostel.

“Upon arriving, I found the deceased lying on a mattress unconscious. I checked his nose, breathing, pulse, and chest, but there was no response,” Nuhrullah said during the trial before Justice Duncan Sikodol.

Thirteen students, aged between 16 and 19, were charged with jointly murdering Nazmie, 17, in rooms 7 Resak and 5 Belian at Lahad Datu Vocational College between 9pm on March 21 and 7.39am on March 22.

The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code, carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years and not more than 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.

Nuhrullah, who is also a teacher at the college, said he contacted the college director, Ahmad Fakhrurazi Hamzah, and chief warden Afif Aziz to report the situation.

He said Fakhrurazi instructed him to call the emergency services.

“During the call, the medical officer instructed me to perform chest compressions until the ambulance arrived,” he said.

When deputy public prosecutor Nur Nisla Abd Latif asked about the second accused’s demeanour when reporting the seizure, Nuhrullah said the accused appeared nervous.

The witness also observed injuries on the victim’s lips during his examination of the student.

In response to a question from defence lawyer Kamaruddin Mohmad Chinki, Nuhrullah clarified that he was not on duty as a warden on the night of March 21, as another teacher was on duty.

Meanwhile, Fakhrurazi, the prosecution’s first witness, testified during cross-examination by lawyer Ram Singh that he could not detect any heartbeat or pulse when examining the victim.

“I felt the victim’s body was still warm, which motivated me to perform CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation),” he said.

However, Fakhrurazi disagreed with lawyer Mohamad Zairi Zainal Abidin’s suggestion that the victim could have been saved if he had been taken to the hospital immediately after being found.

During re-examination by Nur Nisla, the witness reiterated his disagreement with the defence’s suggestion, stating that the victim had no detectable breath or pulse at the time.

“The vocational college van was ready to transport the victim to the hospital, but Nuhrullah (who made the emergency call) was instructed by the hospital to wait for the ambulance,” he added.

The prosecution is being conducted by DPPs Nur Nisla, Ng Juhn Tao, and Nur Batrisyia Mohd Khusri.

Eight of the 13 accused are represented by lawyers Ram, Kamaruddin, and Chen Wen Jye, while the remaining five are defended by Mohamad Zairi, Abdul Ghani Zelika, Vivian Thien, Jhassany P Kang, and Kusni Ambotuwo.

The trial continues tomorrow.

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