KUALA LUMPUR: Despite knowing her child possesses 80 pills containing methamphetamine, a mother decided to turn a blind eye.
The child offender, caught with the pills, was ordered to be sent to Sekolah Tunas Bakti, a moral rehabilitation centre for adolescents, in Sungai Besi for three years.
Pasir Mas magistrate Mohd Izdham Naim Che Ani said the ruling under Section 91(1)(f) of the Child Act 2001 was appropriate for the boy to receive guidance and become a good citizen.
He stated that the boy's guilty plea of drug possession was not a justification for a lighter sentence, as substance abuse was a serious offence.
"What's more, he possessed 80 pills containing methamphetamine, which is a significant quantity for a young child offender," he said.
The magistrate said he had considered several main factors, such as the boy's moral report by a probation officer (pegawai akhlak).
He factored in the boy's background, as he was involved in drug transactions at home.
"It is evident that the boy's living environment is not conducive to enabling him to change for the better.
"The mother was unable to provide the much-needed guidance; she simply let him do as he wished, to the point where she allowed him to buy and sell drugs in their own house.
"According to the moral report, his mother tried to protect him.
"If he returns to his family and the existing environment, there is no guarantee that he will not go back to drugs," said the magistrate.
He said, as recommended by the probation officer, the boy requires an order that comes with systematic rules and discipline.
"It is not too late to mold and correct him, as the officer confirmed that his moral values can be shaped if given guidance, and he must be assisted to change," he added.
The charge states that the boy possessed 80 pills containing methamphetamine weighing 1.18 grams at a house in Rantau Panjang at about 4:10 am on Oct 3 last year.
He was charged under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 12(3) of the same act.
He had been caught by police officers who noticed him behaving suspiciously at Kampung Gual Pasong Hantu in Rantau Panjang.