POLICE have been advised to use their discretion when handling juvenile suspects following protest that the children of the late Cradle CEO Nazrin Hassan have been mistreated.

This morning, a group staged a protest at Petaling Jaya court complex, demanding that the rights of Nazrin’s two teenage stepsons, held over his murder, be protected after they were taken in cuffs and the purple suspect’s garb.

“From the pictures published, the juveniles shouldn’t be handcuffed. The media also shouldn’t be taking their pictures and details,” said criminal lawyer Rajsurian Pillai.

The boys, aged 16 and 14, have been remanded for seven days to facilitate investigations. They were arrested on Saturday and were remanded yesterday.

Legal procedures for the handling of the juveniles today, however, were the norm and followed protocol, Rajsurian said.

Juvenile suspects also undergo the usual remand procedures but are charged and undergo trial at juvenile courts. Kuala Lumpur has one dedicated juvenile court.

“In other smaller courts, it is the same magistrates’ court, but they allocate one day a month for a regular court to be transformed into a juvenile court to hear juvenile cases,” said Rajsurian.

Voice of the Children activist Hartini Zainuddin, who led this morning’s protest, said the two suspects should not have been made to wear handcuffs and lock-up clothes when they were brought to the magistrates’ court, which she said violated of the United Nations conduct for minors.

“That they were handcuffed is appalling,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

“That they’re wearing prison clothes robs them of dignity. That their names, age are splashed all over the news is outrageous.

“These children have the right to privacy. They’re in remand to assist in the investigation. They’ve not been charged and are not criminals,” she said, adding that she will write a letter to seek police help in ensuring that the juvenile suspects are “protected” during the remand period and investigation.

Police have also obtained a three-day remand extension for Samirah Muzaffar, the boys’ mother.

Nazrin, the boys’ stepfather, was found dead after his bedroom at a double-storey terrace house in Mutiara Damansara caught fire on June 14, a day before Hari Raya.

His family said then his handphone had exploded, causing the fire. Cradle Fund also issued a statement, saying its CEO died from blast injuries attributed to an exploding handphone charging beside him.

Last month, however, Selangor police classified the case as murder after investigators found traces of petrol in the room.

On Thursday, a police source said they questioned the teens after it was found that Nazrin’s neck had injuries believed to be from an arrow. It is understood that the two boys are archers. – September 10, 2018.