KUALA LUMPUR: A housewife was jailed eight years by the Sessions Court in Kuala Selangor after admitting to hitting her adopted daughter with a mortar and pestle, and slashing her body with a knife.
The court was told that the 54-year-old woman has looked after the 13-year-old girl since she was a baby and physically assaulted and abused her, resulting in broken teeth and multiple injuries.
The woman’s lawyer also told the court that, having no source of income, she was unable to pay a fine, and that her husband was also in jail for a drug-related offence.
Sessions court judge Nurul Mardhiah Mohammed Redza also imposed a two-year good behaviour bond and ordered the woman to perform 40 hours of community service after completing her sentence.
The offence was committed at a house in Taman Bendahara, Kuala Selangor.
She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000, jail of up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, a medical examination confirmed that the injuries sustained were consistent with physical abuse, Bernama reported.
Earlier, DPP Mohamad Nor Hakimi Mohamad Rosedin urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence as a lesson to the accused, citing public interest and the alarming frequency of child abuse cases.
“The accused has committed a serious offence under Section 52B of the Penal Code. I respectfully request the court to review the photographs of the victim’s injuries, which clearly show that the accused failed in her responsibilities as the victim’s guardian.
“The accused’s actions have left both physical and psychological scars on her adopted child, who now suffers from trauma,” he added.
