By Ivan Loh

IPOH: A padi farmer escaped the gallows when the High Court here judged him to have been insane when committing the murder of a 13-year-old schoolgirl in Chui Chak, Hilir Perak.

When delivering the sentence, High Court judge Justice Wan Afrah Wan Ibrahim said 48-year-old Wong KoK Ching was found to have committed the offence but was acquitted as he was medically proven to be insane.

"The accused will be kept in safe custody at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta at the pleasure of the Sultan of Perak," Justice Wan Afrah said on Wednesday.

Wong was charged with the murder of Lim Wan Qing in Kedai Pasar Mini Chui Chak at 361, Jalan Anson, Teluk Intan, at 6.40pm on Jan 1 last year.

Deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim said a psychiatrist's report confirmed that Wong was suffering from schizophrenia and he was not in a mentally stable condition during the day of incident.

"Wong was also unaware that he had committed a crime," she added.

-New Straits Times