The Malaysian Insider
SHAH ALAM,
July 15 — A police officer discharging his firearm given reasonable
cause receives legal protection for doing so, the trial of a corporal
accused of causing the death of schoolboy Aminulrasyid Amzah heard
today.
SAC
Datuk Razali Basri of the federal CID’s prosecution and legal division
also said the Police Standing Orders, under which the protection is
accorded, contained guidelines on situations in which the discharge of
firearms would be justifiable.
He
was testifying today at the trial of 48-year-old Corporal Jenain Subi,
who is charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder of the
schoolboy.
Citing the Standing Orders, Razali said a police officer can open fire in instances where his or the lives others were at risk.
At
this point, deputy public prosecutor Idham Abd Ghani asked if a vehicle
running a traffic light would be sufficient cause to justify the
discharge of a weapon.
“If
the vehicle beats the red light and is heading towards a crowd or zebra
crossing, it can be stopped by whatever means, even with shots,” Razali
was quoted as saying by Bernama Online.
But
the senior officer added that roadblocks — as opposed to gunfire —
would have been a more measured response to a fleeing vehicle.
Fourteen-year-old
schoolboy Aminulrasyid was shot after a high-speed police car chase in
Shah Alam in the early hours of April 26, 2010.
Jenain, the sole officer charged for the incident, faces up to 30 years’ jail plus a fine if convicted.
The trial resumes on July 22.
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