Defence Says Form Five Student Was Not Run Over in DSP Mohd Nazri Murder Trial

KUALA LUMPUR, AGUSTUS 2026 — The High Court in Ipoh was told that Form Five student Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie, 17, was not run over by a vehicle driven by senior police officer DSP Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, according to arguments presented by the defence at the close of the prosecution’s case.

Defence lawyer M. Athimulan argued that claims by several witnesses that the teenager had been run over were contradicted by objective forensic and medical evidence. He told the court that a forensic pathologist had found the victim’s injuries inconsistent with being crushed beneath a vehicle.

According to the defence, there were no crushed bones, severely damaged organs or tyre marks on the victim’s body or clothing that would ordinarily support the claim that he had been run over.

Athimulan argued that scientific and medical evidence should be given significant weight where it conflicts with eyewitness accounts, particularly because witness perception can be affected during traumatic events.

The defence maintained that the incident was a tragic collision in which Muhammad Zaharif was thrown from his motorcycle, rather than deliberately run over.

Athimulan said the injuries sustained by the teenager were consistent with an impact and subsequent fall onto the road. The absence of tyre marks on both his clothing and body was cited as further support for that argument.

He also asked the court to reject witness testimony that allegedly described the teenager being run over, arguing that those accounts were inconsistent with the medical findings.

The defence further suggested that witnesses’ recollections could have been influenced by the traumatic nature of the incident and by subsequent exposure to social media coverage.

Athimulan also questioned the absence of data from the Perodua Ativa’s vehicle event recorder or “black box”, saying such information could have been important in reconstructing the incident and determining the driver’s actions before the collision.

According to the defence, the missing data could potentially have shown whether Mohd Nazri attempted to brake, swerve or avoid the collision, as well as whether the vehicle’s speed was consistent with a loss of control rather than an intentional act.

Athimulan argued that the absence of this evidence was significant because the prosecution must establish the required criminal intent for a murder charge.

Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, 46, is charged with murdering Muhammad Zaharif near Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jati in Ipoh between 11.55am and 12.32pm on December 15, 2023.

He is being prosecuted under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years. If the death sentence is not imposed, the law also provides for a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.

The submissions were heard before High Court Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gucharan Singh Preet. Athimulan is assisted by lawyers Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid and Aiman Hakim Kamaruzzaman.

The prosecution is led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz, assisted by Nasrul Hadi Abdul Ghani and Monisha Pandey. The defence was scheduled to continue its submissions the following day.

The proceedings remain ongoing, and the defence arguments reported at this stage do not constitute a finding by the court on Mohd Nazri’s guilt or innocence.