Background of the Case
In Johor Bahru, a 12-year-old student's mother has taken legal action against an international school, seeking pre-action discovery to obtain documents and information related to an alleged hacker who used the school’s Microsoft Teams platform to spread lewd messages under the girl’s name. The incident has led to significant emotional distress for the victim, prompting her to transfer schools.
The Plaintiff's Claim
The mother filed an originating summons on behalf of her daughter, requesting the court to compel the school to disclose details about the perpetrator and their parents. She also asked for the findings of the school’s investigation and any actions taken against the hacker and those who made false claims against her daughter.
According to the mother, all the necessary documents are in the school’s possession and are crucial for pursuing legal action. She mentioned that she had previously sent a legal notice to the school last year, but it was refused.
The mother stated that the student who hacked into the system impersonated her daughter when sending out the materials. Additionally, the culprit falsely accused her daughter of misusing the system. This led to further distress as WhatsApp messages and calls were made to the girl, with the caller claiming to be the mother of the student whose account was hacked. The caller threatened the girl, urging her to admit to hacking the system and sending the lewd materials.
As a result, the girl experienced severe emotional distress and damage to her reputation, leading her to refuse to attend school. Eventually, she was forced to transfer to another institution.
The School’s Response
In its affidavit in reply, the school stated that the incidents in question were beyond its control and that all necessary steps were taken to address the issues at the time. It claimed that it had thoroughly investigated the matter and had fully cleared the victim’s name in March of last year.
The school held a meeting between its representatives, the mother, her daughter, and all other Year 6 students, informing them that the victim was not involved in the matter. On or around June 12 last year, the school facilitated a reconciliation session involving all students connected to the incident, including the perpetrator and the victim. The representative noted that the perpetrator had apologized to everyone involved.
The school’s representative also insisted that the culprit’s identity was already known to the mother and daughter. They added that the plaintiff is not prevented from starting legal proceedings against the perpetrator just because there is no additional evidence at this stage.
The school denied claims that the victim suffered severe emotional distress, fear, and reputational harm, pointing out that she attended the graduation ceremony despite having left the institution. The representative argued that her attendance at the event contradicts the allegations against the school, suggesting that the student interacted with her friends during the ceremony.
The school reserved the right to present photographic evidence of her attendance at the event.
Legal Representation
The mother is represented by the Law Chambers of Vinsa & Ian, while the school’s solicitors are GLT Law. FMT has omitted the names of all parties involved in the case.
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