Teen gets 6 years’ jail for causing fatal crash

PETALING JAYA: The Kuching High Court yesterday sentenced a 16-year-old to six years behind bars, overturning a ruling committing the teenager to the Henry Gurney School for causing a crash that claimed five lives.

Judicial commissioner Faridz Gohim Abdullah set aside the 2025 ruling by the magistrates’ court and substituted it with the prison term, effective June 16, 2025, the Dayak Daily reported.

Faridz also ordered for the boy to be separated from adult inmates throughout his imprisonment.

The teenager pleaded guilty last year to two charges under the Road Transport Act 1987 of causing death by reckless or dangerous driving, and driving while under the age of 16.

In the incident which occurred in January 2025, the teenager lost control of his vehicle, crashing into two cars and two motorcycles along Jalan Stutong Baru in Kuching.

Four people died on the spot, and another died of his injuries while receiving treatment at Sarawak Hospital.

The boy’s father also pleaded guilty to a charge under the Child Act 2001 of permitting his son to drive without proper supervision. He was fined RM15,000 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service within six months.