A 49-year-old woman has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation as part of her pending murder trial in Ipoh. Magistrate Norizan Riduan directed the assessment to determine whether Chew Loong Thye is mentally fit to stand trial in connection with the death of her bedridden mother.

Chew is charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code with the murder of Ching Lai Kheng, 70, at their home in Lorong Kledang Utara 6, Taman Wang, Menglembu. The alleged incident occurred on Sunday evening at about 7:15 p.m. The victim had recently been discharged from an old folks’ home in Pusing. She was found with a stab wound to the chest. During the hearing, Chew, who was not represented by counsel, acknowledged the charge when it was read to her in Cantonese through an interpreter; no plea was recorded.

The magistrate inquired whether the accused was taking any psychiatric medication on the day of the incident, to which Chew replied she had not. It is reported that Chew had previously received mental health treatment. The court scheduled the submission of the psychiatric report and related documents for November 2.

In a separate case at the same court, Muhammad Sofian Maisa, 35, a plumber, was sentenced to 17 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to multiple charges of mischief. Between April and June, he was found responsible for setting fires and splashing paint on homes and vehicles belonging to five victims in Kerian, Taiping, and Ipoh, resulting in damages valued at approximately RM2,450.

Deputy public prosecutor S. Kirthana urged the court to impose a sentence that reflects the harm caused and acts as a deterrent. Conversely, defense counsel Robert Gnanarajan from the National Legal Aid Foundation sought a lighter sentence, citing Muhammad Sofian’s modest daily income, family obligations, and claims that he was coerced by loan sharks after borrowing RM5,000.

At a related hearing before Magistrate S. Punitha, Muhammad Sofian pleaded guilty to four charges under Section 427 of the Penal Code for damaging property—including gates, tiles, exterior walls, and vehicles—with estimated losses of about RM3,830 between April and July. He was sentenced to one year in prison for each of the first two charges, to be served concurrently, and 18 months for each of the remaining two charges.

Additionally, Muhammad Sofian received a five-year jail term from the Sessions Court after pleading guilty to one charge under Section 435 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by fire. He was accused of pouring petrol on a car at a residence in Desa Pengkalan Mutiara on June 13 at around 4:15 a.m.