PUTRAJAYA, Aug 4 — A three-judge panel at the Court of Appeal withheld judgment today, advising instead the families of three youths killed in an armed conflict with police to settle their civil claims out of court first.
The panel chaired by Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh gave the parties until September 1 to reach an agreement, failing which they will then decide on the civil suit that had previously been dismissed by the High Court in August last year.
“We direct the parties on amicable settlement in the spirit of fairness and justice,” Mohd Zawawi said when ruling on the case.
The parents of three Malay youths — Muhammad Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, 15; Mohd Hairul Nizam Tuah, 20; and Muhammad Hanifi Omar, 22 — had filed a civil suit at the High Court on August 12, 2014 against the police following their deaths in a shooting on November 13, 2010 in Shah Alam, Selangor.
In their suit, the families sought relief in general, aggravated and exemplary damages. The High Court dismissed their claims as no criminal charges were pressed against the police officers involved.
According to previous news reports, police suspected the trio of involvement in a string of police station robberies. On the day in question, the police shot dead the three youth in self-defence after they were allegedly attacked with machetes following a car chase in the Glenmarie industrial zone.
The panel of judges also included Datuk Vernon Ong Lam Kiat and Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli.
Lawyer for the three families, N. Surendran later told reporters he would seek further instructions from his clients regarding settlement though he said the families were more concerned with clearing the youths’ names.
