A Malaysian school teacher has been charged with the murder of a seven-year-old student at a private Islamic school in the northern state of Perlis

The schoolboy was accused of stealing a couple of dollars from a classmate. As punishment, the boy was tied up to a window, caned and beaten for two hours. He fell into a coma and died in hospital three days later. The boy's death has caused public outrage with the deputy prime minister calling the case unforgivable. Prosecutors charged a 26-year-old school teacher with murder but he did not enter a plea. If convicted he could face the death penalty, which is carried out by hanging.