KUALA LUMPUR: A woman has been sentenced to three years in jail by the Ampang Sessions Court here after pleading guilty to beating her six-year-old son to death.
Judge Norshila Kamarudin ordered the 25-year-old mother to serve the prison sentence from Wednesday (Jan 22) and after serving her time, to be placed on a good behaviour bond for two years and prohibited from caring for other children for five years.
The court also ordered her to be imprisoned for a year if she failed to comply with the conditions.
She was charged, as the person having care of the boy, to have exposed the child in a manner likely to cause physical injury by hitting, pinching and slapping him until he died.
The incident occurred at a residence in Taman Bukit Ampang here between 2pm on Jan 8 and 6pm on Jan 9.
The charge, under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, provides a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment for up to 20 years or both upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, police went to the scene of the incident on Jan 10 after receiving a phone call at 2.36pm the same day about the victim who lost consciousness at the residence.
According to the mother, the victim had a high fever and convulsions. However, the results of the autopsy confirmed the boy died due to blunt trauma to the head and abdomen.
The victim's mother was arrested and the police investigation found that the victim had been beaten, slapped and pinched by his mother for constantly crying, urinating and defecating.
The woman also has another child aged six months.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Hairuliqram Hairuddin, while lawyer Muhammad Aidil Akmal Sharidan represented the woman.
Meanwhile, the woman's boyfriend, Muhammad Redza Zainurin, 36, was charged with murdering the same victim at the same place at 2.36pm on Jan 10.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides the death penalty or imprisonment between 30 and 40 years and a minimum of 12 lashes, if convicted.
He nodded after the charge was read out before Magistrate Amalina Basirah Md Top but no plea was recorded
She then fixed March 24 for mention.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Norhidayah Abdullah Sani while the accused was unrepresented. – Bernama
