BUKIT MERTAJAM: A 14-year-old girl and her boyfriend were jointly charged at the Magistrate's Court here with kidnapping a nine-month-old baby girl.
The teen girl and Muhammad Azrin Budimaeng, 18, a part time restaurant worker, claimed trial to the offence when the charge was read to them before Magistrate Nurul Rasyidah Mohd Akit.
Both the accused appeared calm throughout the proceedings.
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They were jointly charged with holding the baby by means of wrongfully running away with her at Pangsapuri Idaman in Taman Pauh Prai near here about 5.30pm on Aug 23.
They were charged under Section 363 of the Penal Code for kidnapping.
The offence carries maximum seven years' imprisonment, and shall also be liable to a fine, upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohammad Syafiq Nasrullah Saleem Ali did not offer any bail, pointing to the fact that it was a non-bailable offence.
He also did not offer bail due to the seriousness of the offence.
"However, as an alternative, if the court decides to grant both the accused bail, I request for a high bail with strict conditions," he said.
Fatin Nabila Hussin, who represented both the accused, said the court had the discretion to grant both bail.
"In this case, the first accused is just a 14-year-old teenager, underage and young.
"She is the youngest among three siblings and is staying with her 75-year-old grandfather and 68-year-old grandmother after her parents divorced.
"I was told her parents had not been in touch with their children after the divorce.
"This is her first offence and as far as I am concerned, my client is a law-abiding citizen," she said.
As for Muhammad Azrin, Fatin Nabila said he too was a young teenager and had never committed any offence prior to this.
She said her client was the second among five siblings and had to help supplement the family’s income by working part time in a restaurant to help his two younger siblings, aged 10 and 11.
"His mother is sick and his father does not have a full time job.
"He is working two days a week, earning RM50 a day.
"He is also a good child and has never committed any offence," she said, urging the court to grant both accused bail, as they needed the support and guidance from their family members.
Nurul Rasyidah then fixed Oct 3 for mention of the case pending submission of documents.
She granted both accused RM5,000 bail each with one surety.
She said for the first accused (the teen girl), her bailor needed to be her next-of-kin; either one of her parents.
It was reported last Thursday (Aug 25) that five people, including a 14-year-old girl, were detained to assist investigations into the kidnapping of a nine-month-old baby girl, at an apartment in Bukit Tengah here last Tuesday (Aug 23).
Detained along with the teenage school dropout was her 18-year-old boyfriend, as well as his mother, 43, his stepfather, 30, and a male friend, 18.
The baby girl was found safe in the care of the boyfriend's parents.
Based on the initial investigations, the teen girl, who came from a broken family, had taken the baby girl from her 65-year-old grandmother, who worked as a nanny.
When the baby's 24-year-old mother went to pick up her daughter about 5.30pm last Tuesday (Aug 23), she was told by the nanny that the baby was taken by the teen girl when she was performing prayers.
Following the incident, the baby's 26-year-old father then lodged a police report at the Bukit Tengah police station.
The teen girl told police during investigations that she had taken the baby girl because she liked her very much and wanted to care for the baby like her own child.
She, however, told her boyfriend's mother that the child was hers, from her previous relationship.
