Remand extended six days for student suspected of killing Irene Sofiya

BATU PAHAT: The remand of a Form Four student suspected of murdering 16-year-old Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal at a secondary school in Yong Peng last Saturday has been extended by six days.

Magistrate Aimi Nawwar Mohamad Othman allowed the extension today, from tomorrow until Thursday, after the initial remand order against the 16-year-old suspect expired.

The extension allows police to continue investigations, record statements and complete the investigation papers before submitting them to the Johor Prosecution Office for further action.

The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

The suspect arrived at the court at 8.30am, accompanied by officers from the Batu Pahat police headquarters' Special Investigation Division (D9).

Irene Sofiya was found unconscious with severe injuries inside the school hall at about 5.30pm last Saturday.

The only child had failed to return home after extra classes ended. A friend later found her motorcycle parked on the school grounds.

The friend then went to the victim's grandparents' house in Kampung Parit Selamat, about 2km from the school, to ask whether she had returned home.

After realising she was missing, her grandmother, Jameyah Rabani, 65, aunt Siti Nur Faeza Khyar, 45, and the friend went to the school to look for her. They found her critically injured inside the hall.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk M. Kumar had earlier said that a post-mortem conducted by a forensic pathologist at Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital in Batu Pahat yesterday confirmed that Irene Sofiya died from blunt force trauma to the head.