Of Law and Justice, and a boy who murdered yet set free.

Five years ago, I read in disbelief, of a murder committed by a 12 year-old boy. He was repeatedly called 'Fatty' and a spat ensued between him and the 11 year-old daughter of his tuition teacher. They were alone in the teacher's home. He snapped and attacked the girl with a sharp weapon. The girl died from massive loss of blood resulting from four slash wounds and twenty stab wounds.

In the intervening five years, from the magistrate's courts to the KL High Court to the Court of Appeal, the prosecution and the defence did their thing. All while the boy spent time in prison. Yesterday, the boy, now 17, was set FREE.

The court said it had no choice. (Read about the facts and technicalities here.) This is one of those occasions where one goes 'Huh?' and ponders about the world we live in. This is the law. But is this justice? A question asked too many times around the Courts of Justice. Courts of Justice?

Most would accept whatever outcome as decided through the channels of law and order, even if it seems obviously skewed. Some have felt disgruntled enough to carry out themselves the justice they deemed more appropriate than that ruled by the law, breaking another law in the process.

There is the law and then there is justice. The law is laid out plainly in black and white, albeit with exploitable loopholes and interpretations. As loose as it may seem, it IS laid out in letter and cast in stone, so to say. Justice, unfortunately, is largely a concept, an opinion. More so to parties on opposing sides of any issue or case. They may accept the rule of law, but the absence of justice may still be perceived.

In this particular case, the boy and his family may feel that justice has been served rightly. And it is understandable that his victim's family are shocked at the sheer lack of justice. The public at large may offer a myriad of other views on this, very likely colouring the entire spectrum from freedom to the death sentence.

We all want justice. But given the nature and variance of the human mind, the law is all that we can rely on. If everyone should get the justice they want, it could throw us back to barbarism in a free-for-all world. Justice can be continually pursued. But it must be done within the law.

PS
And if we still feel that we did not get justice, there is always Judgment Day. No lawyers needed.