PORT DICKSON: A teenager charged with murdering her newborn baby has been ordered to undergo a mental health assessment at Hospital Permai, Johor for a month.
Magistrate Hairun Najmi Mashahadi made the ruling on Thursday (Feb 27) after a request from defence counsel Ahmad Lokman Abdul Aziz, representing the 19-year-old accused, Nurul Ain Haslan.
The lawyer, also representing Nurul Ain's 21-year-old boyfriend Muhammad Emer Irfan Hasren who is jointly charged with her, said the evaluation was important because the alleged crime was committed just after the baby's birth.
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"We hope the court allows her to undergo an assessment for postnatal depression or postpartum psychosis before she stands trial as there is a need to establish if there was an intention to commit the crime," he said.
Nurul Ain and Emer were jointly charged at a Seremban Magistrate's Court on Jan 31.
No plea was recorded from the duo as murder cases come under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
They were charged with committing the offence between 5.30am and 4pm on Jan 21 at a house in Teluk Kemang here.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, for murder.
Offenders can be sentenced to death, or jailed between 30 and 40 years with at least 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Azriff Firdaus Mohamad Ali asked the court for a new mention date as the post-mortem report was not ready.
He said the prosecution had no objection to the defence application for Nurul Ain to undergo a mental health evaluation.
The court then fixed March 27 for mention.
Police were alerted to the case by staff at Hospital Port Dickson on Jan 21 when Nurul Ain, who was seeking postnatal treatment, could not produce her baby when doctors asked.
The suspects were arrested after police found the remains of a baby girl stuffed in a bag in a house.
The victim had injuries believed to have been caused by a knife.
Emer is unemployed while Nurul Ain works part-time at a fast food outlet.
