The sixth defence witness claimed that the investigating officer had ordered him to do 50 push-ups, as well as beat him with a rubber hose and kicked him on the thigh until he confessed to killing Nazmie Aizzat Narul Azwan, reported Bernama.

“They (police officers) kept forcing us (to confess). It seemed like they would keep beating us until we confessed,” he said during cross-examination by lawyer Kamarudin Chinki.

During the proceedings before Justice Duncan Sikodol, the witness claimed that the others accused of the murder were also ordered to do push-ups and other exercises.

However, he said he did not see the investigating officer beat the other suspects.

The witness stated that the pressure to confess caused fear among all the accused, adding that he cried while in the lockup.

He is among 13 students of the college charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of 30 to 40 years, along with a maximum of 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutors Nur Nisla Abdul Latif, Ng Juhn Tao and Batrisyia Khusri appeared for the prosecution.

Eight of the 13 accused are represented by lawyers Ram Singh, Kamarudin and Chen Wen Jye. The remaining five are represented by lawyers Zairi Zainal Abidin, Abdul Ghani Zelika, Vivian Thien, Jhesseny P Kang and Kusni Ambotuwo.

On Feb 28, Duncan ordered the 13, aged 16 to 19, to enter their defence against a charge of jointly murdering Aizzat at the college between 9pm on March 21 and 7.38am on March 22 last year.

The trial continues tomorrow.