TAWAU: The High Court here on Wednesday acquitted and discharged an Indonesian plantation labourer of murdering his colleague’s 11-year-old son after finding him to be of unsound mind at the time of the incident.
Judicial Commissioner Steve Ritikos ordered Paulus Poka Lolo, 36, to be held in safe custody at Tawau Prison pending an order from the Sabah Head of State under Section 348 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The court held that while Paulus had inflicted fatal slash wounds on Nugi @ Anugrah Samsudin, medical and legal evidence proved on a balance of probabilities that he suffered from schizophrenia and could not understand that his actions were wrong.
Paulus had been charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code with murdering the boy at Perumahan Lestari, Kampung Indera Bakti, Ladang Sahabat 30 in Lahad Datu on Sept 23, 2023.
In his defence from the dock, supported by testimony from a Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang forensic psychiatrist, Paulus stated he acted after hearing voices commanding him to slash someone with a machete.
