KUALA LUMPUR: A mother put her child in a cage, while her two friends kicked and filmed the abuse, leading to all three being sentenced to jail.
The mother was sentenced to 14 days in jail and fined RM10,000 by the Sessions Court yesterday after pleading guilty to abusing her son in February.
The 20-year-old woman was also ordered to perform 240 hours of community service over a period of six months once she completes her prison sentence which starts today.
In addition, Judge Norina Zainal Abidin ordered the young mother to be placed under a good behavior bond for five years with a RM10,000 surety, without collateral.
The same court also sentenced two of her friends — Adibah Mohd Zaini, 35, and Nor Azlin Fatin Najihah Lokman, 25 —to the same penalty after they pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to the charges, all three of them jointly abused a three-and-a-half-year-old boy causing injuries to the victim.
The abuse took place in a house in Taman Danau Desa, here, between 1.40pm and 1.45pm on Feb 23.
As such, they were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 read together with Section 34 of the same Act, which, upon conviction, carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years, or both.
Prior to sentencing, the three accused pleaded for a fine-only sentence, stating that they had repented and admitted to their wrongdoing.
The victim's mother, in her plea, asked for a lighter sentence, saying she regretted her actions because she had to put her child in a cage in order to go to work.
Judge: You put him in the cage where?
Mother: At the back of Adibah's kitchen.
Judge: Why did you put him in a cage?
Mother: There was no one to look after him, I had to go to work.
Judge: What are your working hours?
Mother: From 3pm to 10pm
Judge: What is your relationship with the victim?
Mother: He is my biological son.
Judge: Why did you put your child in a cage instead of asking your mother in Penang to take care of him? Do you have no answer?
Mother: No.
Judge: What are your plans for your child now?
Mother: I will live in Penang from now on, and my mother will take care of him while I work.
Adibah, in her plea, also requested a fine-only sentence, citing that she had two young children at home who had no one else to care for them as her husband was working.
"I ask for the sentence to be reduced to a fine only. There's no one to look after my children at home, my husband works. I don't want to go to prison and regret what I did. This is the first and last time I've made this mistake," she said.
Nor Azlin Fatin, in her plea, also asked for a lighter sentence, saying she had to support her 10 younger siblings, some of whom were still small.
"I admit my guilt for being an accomplice," she said, confirming that she lived in the same house as Adibah.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Joshua Tee Yee Khuan recommended imprisonment for all three, highlighting the inhumane nature of their actions and the abuse of a child under three years old.
Based on the case facts, following an investigation by the investigating officer, the three accused were found to have jointly abused the victim by kicking him, resulting in physical injuries.
Adibah kicked the child several times while being filmed by Nor Azlin Fatin, while the victim's mother was present at the scene and allowed the abuse to happen.
Video footage showed Adibah kicking the victim multiple times in front of the other two accused in the house. Initial medical examination revealed injuries to the victim's eyebrow, abdomen, back, arms, and legs.