KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian domestic helper was sentenced to four years’ jail for the death of a toddler who drowned in a swimming pool.
Sessions Court judge Suhaila Haron imposed the jail term on Wahyuni Tanjung, 44, after she pleaded guilty to neglecting the boy, resulting in his death.
According to the charge, Wahyuni, as a person responsible for the care of the two-year-old boy, committed the offence at the adult swimming pool of a residential complex in Sentul between 6pm and 7pm on July 28.
She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction.
According to the facts presented in court, the victim’s mother had instructed the accused, who was employed as her domestic helper, to take the victim and his five-year-old brother to the swimming pool at their residential complex on the day of the incident.
At about 7pm, the accused contacted the victim’s mother to inform her that the child had drowned, after which a member of the public performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him.
The victim was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit at Selayang Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4am the following day.
An autopsy conducted by the Kuala Lumpur Hospital Forensic Department found that the cause of death was consistent with drowning.
Investigations found that the accused, who had worked for only a month, had taken the victim and his brother to an adult swimming pool without any swimming aids despite knowing that both children could not swim, and left them unattended when she went to the toilet.
Deputy public prosecutor Md Subri Hashim urged the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a lesson to the accused and other child caregivers, Bernama reported.
“The accused, as a person employed by the victim’s mother to work and assist in caring for the children, should not have left the victim and his brother without proper supervision.
“The court should take into account the seriousness of the offence, which resulted in the death of the victim, who should have had the opportunity to live a longer life,” he said.
Wahyuni, who was unrepresented, appeared emotional when shown photographs from the victim’s autopsy report.
The accused did not appeal for a lighter sentence, but told the court that her husband had died 14 years ago and that she had a 16-year-old son in Indonesia.
