KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has affirmed the conviction and a 12-year jail sentence of Rumah Bonda founder, Siti Bainun Ahd Razali, for the neglect of a Down Syndrome teenager known as Bella, three years ago.
In a decision here on Thursday (May 2), Justice Noorin Badaruddin dismissed the appeal by Siti Bainun who sought to set aside her conviction and sentence by the Sessions Court.
She also dismissed an application by Siti Bainun's lawyer Haijan Omar for a stay of execution pending appeal to the Court of Appeal.
In her judgment, Justice Noorin said the court was satisfied by the maximum evaluation of the Sessions Court judge on prosecution witnesses who testified.
She said there were 18 injuries and scars on the victim's body that were proven by all medical witnesses to be not self-inflicted.
Justice Noorin noted that Bella was a special needs child, and the testimonies from witnesses had completed the prosecution's narrative of her being neglected and abused until she suffered physical and emotional injuries.
"The court found it hard to conclude that the witnesses had created a false story against the appellant," she said.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Zahida Zakaria and Analia Kamaruddin appeared for the prosecution while Haijan appeared together with lawyers Nur A'minahtul Mardiah Md Noor and Nurul Hafidzah Hassan.
On May 3, last year, Siti Bainun, 32, was sentenced by the Sessions Court to 10 years in jail for the offence of negligence and 12 years for abuse.
Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently from the date of sentencing.
Sessions Court judge Izralizam Sanusi also ordered Siti Bainun to sign a five-year good behaviour bond with RM5,000 collateral in one surety as well as for the accused to serve six months of community service with an aggregate of 200 hours after completing her prison sentence.
