A commotion broke out at the High Court in Kangar today when a witness in the murder trial of Year One student Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee was arrested by a team of enforcement officers from the Perlis Islamic Religious Department (JAIPs).

Saiful Sopfidee Marzuki, 34, who is the father of the murder victim, was arrested as he was coming down the stairs of the court complex when the hearing of the murder trial broke for recess about 12.45pm.

According to a source, Saiful Sopfidee was arrested following an arrest warrant issued on him last Oct 27 for failing to attend a court hearing for a syariah case early this year.

However, when the murder trial continued, the widower was back in the courtroom.

Saiful Sopfidee was one of the witnesses called to testify on the first day trial of hostel supervisor Hanif Mohd Ali, 26, who is charged with murdering the seven-year-old boy at Sekolah Rendah Islam Al-Furqan, Jejawi, between 6pm and 12 midnight on March 31 this year.

During the hearing, judicial commissioner Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab chided the prosecution for coming to court unprepared.

Deputy public prosecutors Najib Zakaria, Azhar Mokhtar and Nadiah Hanim Mohd Tajuddin appeared for the prosecution, Hanif was represented by lawyers Ariff Azami Hussein, Azizul Shariman Mat Yusoff, Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, Mohd Fikri Abd Rahman and Zulmi Sabri.

- Bernama