High-Speed Chase of Teenager Showed ‘Extraordinary Rashness’, Prosecutor Tells Court in DSP Nazri Murder Trial

IPOH, Aug 14 — The High Court here was told today that a senior police officer’s act of chasing a teenager at high speed before colliding with his motorcycle was a imminently dangerous act that demonstrated “extraordinary rashness.”

In his oral rebuttal at the close of the prosecution’s case, Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz submitted that DSP Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak pursued 17-year-old student Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie at dangerously close range while fully aware that such conduct could result in fatal consequences.

The court heard that Mohd Nazri failed to slow down his Perodua Ativa SUV even after driving over a speed bump near a school zone, continuing to tailgate the teenager before striking him at an intersection.

“The act by the accused was not only imminently dangerous, it is extraordinarily rash, it is crystal clear evidence of deliberate chase and tailgating by the accused against an unknown victim, a stranger, by following him closely after he left the school grounds,” Afzainizam submitted.

“And when the accused got the opportunity, he hit him from the rear at the intersection, where the victim did not know that someone was actually behind him so close, chasing him,” he added.

Addressing arguments raised by the defence regarding the absence of tyre tread marks on the victim’s body, Afzainizam clarified that the lack of visible tyre impressions does not disprove that the victim was struck or run over. Citing testimony from the forensic pathologist, he noted that thick garments worn by the teenager could have prevented visible marks from forming without ruling out the mechanics of the collision.

Regarding the extraction of Event Data Recorder (EDR) data, Afzainizam explained that vehicle speed and brake telemetry were retrieved using specialized software by a Perodua technical assistant without physically dismantling the hardware, thereby maintaining the analytical integrity of the technical report.

High Court Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet fixed October 28 to deliver his ruling on whether the prosecution has established a prima facie case requiring Mohd Nazri, 46, to enter his defence.

The prosecution team is led by Afzainizam alongside Deputy Public Prosecutors Nasrul Hadi Abdul Ghani and Monisha Pandey, while the accused is represented by defense counsel Datuk M. Athimulan, Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid, and Aiman Hakim Kamaruzzaman.

Mohd Nazri is charged with murdering Muhammad Zaharif Affendi near Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Jati in Ipoh between 11.55 am and 12.32 pm on December 15, 2023.

The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the death penalty or an imprisonment term of between 30 and 40 years, with mandatory whipping of not less than 12 strokes of the cane if the death penalty is not imposed.

–NMT