KUALA PILAH: A 27-year-old man was fined RM1,800 in default five months’ jail for making a child work longer than the hours allowed by the law.
Shadesh Kumar pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a provision in the law which states that a child can only work for a limited number of hours in a day.
He did not contest the charge after it was read to him before Magistrate Saiful Sayoti.
The accused was charged with committing the offence against a 14-year-old boy on June 12 at a lot in Kg Bukit Gelugor along Jalan Kuala Pilah-Bahau.
He was charged under Section 5(1)(c) of the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966 which states that a child engaged in any employment shall not be required or permitted to work for more than six hours in a day.
The provision also states that if the child is attending school, the number of hours spent in school and working should not exceed seven hours.
Offenders can be jailed up to six months or fined up to RM2,000 or both, upon conviction.
In mitigation, the accused, who was unrepresented, asked the court for a minimal fine as he had to provide for his young family.
He also told the court that this was the first time he had run afoul of the law.
DPP Khairunnisa Zainudin prosecuted. It is not known whether Shadesh paid the fine.
It was reported that police had rescued the victim after receiving a tip off from the public alleging that the victim, who was physically challenged, was being exploited to work as a scrap collector.
