SEREMBAN: A former babysitter has been sentenced to one year's jail and fined RM15,000 by the Sessions Court here for negligence resulting in a toddler's death.
On Monday (March 30), judge N. Kanageswari also ordered 41-year-old Khairunnisa Ahmad Damamhuri to serve an additional four months in jail if she fails to pay the fine.
The court further ordered the accused to complete 48 hours of community service within six months of her release.
Additionally, she was placed on a one-year good behaviour bond of RM5,000 without collateral.
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Khairunnisa was charged with negligence leading to the death of 15-month-old Nour Rania Asyifaa Yuseri, or Baby Syifaa, at a nursery in Bandar Sri Sendayan at around 12.30pm on Feb 22, 2022.
She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which states that any person responsible for the care of a child who abuses, neglects, abandons, or exposes the child in a way that is likely to cause physical or emotional injury, neglect, or exposure, is committing an offence.
Offenders can be jailed up to 20 years or fined up to RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.
In July 2024, the Coroner's Court ruled that the toddler's death was due to compression of the neck.
It found that the victim died after her neck became entangled in a cloth cradle.
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The coroner had also found that the death occurred after the victim was left unsupervised in a room for two hours.
On May 29 last year, the court was told that the Attorney General's Chambers had rejected the first representation filed by the defence in February.
The defence filed a second representation but this too was rejected.
A representation refers to a formal request made by a defendant or their legal counsel to the prosecution to review the original charge or reduce a criminal offence.
