Teenager detained after stabbing ‘bully’ to death

Teenager detained after stabbing 'bully' to death
The family of the student who was stabbed to death at a school on Monday asks a monk to perform a ceremony at the scene of the incident to bless the spirit of the victim on Tuesday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)

The 14-year-old schoolboy who stabbed and killed a fellow student at a school in Suan Laung district on Monday has been detained at a juvenile detention centre and charged with premeditated murder and carrying a weapon in public.

The teenager is now awaiting a ruling by the Central Juvenile and Family Court.

His parents did not petition for his temporary release when he was admitted to the Juvenile Observation and Protection Centre on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the police investigation into Monday’s stabbing, the suspect carried a three-inch knife, followed his target into a restroom, waited until the victim reemerged and then attacked him with the knife.

The victim managed to flee as the attacker chased him to the school’s sports ground where some students wrestled him to the ground and disarmed him, according to the probe.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The attacker was detained for questioning before he was charged with premeditated murder and carrying a knife in public without good reason, said the police.

When grilled on Monday, the attacker told investigators he carried out the killing after being bullied by the victim for two weeks.

He said the slain boy had on several occasions punched him in the head and face and demanded sums of money to buy cigarettes, Pol Col Wachirakon Wongbun, chief of Klong Tan police station, said on Monday.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has instructed schools to step up their screenings of students and visitors entering school premises to check for weapons and narcotics, said Supakrit Boonkan, a deputy Bangkok clerk.

Some 55 students and 12 teachers were suffering high stress due to Monday’s stabbing, said Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew.