Trader told to enter defence for assaulting pregnant wife three years ago

JOHOR BARU: A 41-year-old trader has been ordered to enter his defence for beating up his pregnant wife three years ago.

In delivering her decision on Wednesday (Jan 17), Sessions Court judge Fatimah Zahari said the prosecution had proven all the ingredients of the charges and successfully made out a prima facie case against Rosmaini Abd Raof.

The accused was given three options to conduct his defence – give a sworn statement from the witness stand, give a statement from the dock or remain silent.

Lawyer T. C. Lim then told the court that his client had chosen to give sworn evidence from the witness stand.

Rosmaini was charged with causing serious injuries to Jahidah Nordin @ Sylvester, 46, by stomping on her and hitting her head, face and hands.

He allegedly committed the offence at around 6am on May 4, 2021, in a flat at Kampung Aman in Larkin.

The charges were framed under Section 325/326A of the Penal Code, for causing hurt by spouse which carries a jail term of up to14 years with a fine, if found guilty.

Fatimah fixed Jan 24 for the next mention of the case.

Deputy public prosecutor Bari’ah Jalil appeared for the prosecution while Muhammad Hazeem Mohd Norizan held a watching brief on behalf of Jahidah’s family.

Jahidah’s father Nordin Kasim, 70, when met after the proceedings, said he hoped that her daughter would receive the justice that she deserved.

“I came from Keningau, Sabah, and travelled all the way to Seremban to see her on Monday (Jan 15). She is currently under the care of her siblings.

“Her condition is still the same. She is unable to talk and has to eat through a tube.

“I hope that justice will be on my daughter’s side,” he said, adding that he will be following the case closely.

On June 17, 2021, it was reported that the police arrested a wanted man at Taman Bukit Angsana in Kuala Lumpur on June 11 for assaulting his pregnant wife.

The woman, who is a public servant, was put under the intensive care unit at Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor due to her injuries before being transferred to Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar in Seremban.