BATU PAHAT, Oct 15 — A 16-year-old schoolboy was charged in the Magistrate's Court here today with the murder of his classmate, Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal, whose body was discovered inside a secondary school hall in Yong Peng earlier this month.

The accused, a Form Four student at the same school, nodded in understanding when the capital charge was read out to him before Magistrate Mustaqim Sukarno during a closed-door proceeding.

No plea was recorded from the teenager, whose identity is protected by law as a minor, because murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

According to the charge sheet, the accused is alleged to have murdered 16-year-old Irene Sofiya in Dewan Sri Tanjung at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Dato' Seth in Yong Peng between 2.30pm and 4.00pm on Oct 3.