KUALA LUMPUR: A 24-year-old woman was sentenced to two years' jail by the High Court here on Wednesday (April 29) for causing the death of her newborn child by throwing the baby from the 38th floor of a condominium last year.
Judge Aslam Zainuddin passed down the sentence on Lua Mei Zhu and ordered it to take effect from the date of her arrest on Feb 27, 2025. She broke down in tears upon hearing the judgment.
Lua had earlier pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of infanticide while being in a disturbed mental state due to childbirth.
She committed the offence between 1.30pm and 9pm on Feb 26, 2025, and was charged under Section 309A of the Penal Code, which can be punished with a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine, if convicted.
According to the facts of the case, police received a report at 10.21pm on Feb 26 from a man who discovered a baby with severe head injuries on the external balcony of his ninth-floor unit.
Acting on the information, police went to a unit on the 38th floor and found the accused inside a room before arresting her.
Investigations revealed the baby died from multiple injuries sustained after falling from a height. The accused had thrown the newborn out of the bathroom window shortly after giving birth, reportedly in a state of panic.
In mitigation, defence counsel Loke Kok Mun said his client regretted her actions and had already been remanded for one year and two months.
He said the incident stemmed from her immaturity in handling the situation. Although she knew she was pregnant out of wedlock in the final trimester, she did not seek medical care due to fear of social stigma.
"She was under emotional distress and was even afraid to inform her family, fearing shame as the baby's father was of a different race and religion," he said, adding that she had suffered prolonged depression after a breakup and received psychiatric treatment for three months at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Shahrizzat Amadan, however, pressed for a heavier penalty, citing the gravity of the offence.
"A life has been lost. An innocent baby, who never had the chance to live, was thrown from a height.
"At the time, other family members were present in the house. The accused had other options, but tragically chose this course. I seek justice for the baby," he said. - Bernama
