MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ABUSING BABY
Baby under his care had bruises on forehead, stomach, below the eyes
AMAN pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court here yesterday to a charge of abusing a 7-month-old baby under his care. Muhammad Fakhri Abdul Muthalib, 25, made the plea when the charge was read to him by the court interpreter before judge Noor Aini Yusof.
Fakhri, who was unrepresented, was charged with abusing the baby, causing bruises on the baby’s forehead, below his eye and on the stomach at the Luminari Apartment in Jalan Harbour Place here at 9pm on March 6.
He was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.
According to the act, any person who has in his or her care a child who is being neglected, abandoned or exposed in a manner that is likely to cause the latter physical or emotional injury, can be fined up to RM20,000 or jailed up to 10 years, or both, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Syeqal Che Murat told the court that they were still waiting for the victim’s medical report. “We are not offering any bail.” In mitigation, Fakhri told the court that he had no one to bail him out.
“I am only taking up kampung jobs,” he said.
Noor Aini then set bail at RM10,000 with one surety and fixed April 16 for facts and sentencing.
Last Monday, police detained a 25-year-old shop assistant on suspicion of abusing her sevenmonth-old son at the Luminari Apartment here.
This followed a police report lodged by her 28-year-old mechanic husband after noticing bruises below the baby’s eyes.
The couple are no longer on good terms.
It was reported that the mother dropped her son off at her husband’s house in Telok Air Tawar here at 4.30pm on March 7.
The husband had asked his sister-in-law for help to bathe the baby and was told about the bruises.
At the time, the complainant did enquire about the baby’s injury, but was told that the latter had fallen off the cradle, resulting in the injuries.
He then brought his son to Seberang Jaya Hospital for medical check-up and lodged a police report that his son could have possibly been beaten or abused.
According to the mother’s statement, the baby could have fallen off the cradle while under the care of her friends at the Luminari Apartment.
However, police found the mother’s statement suspicious.
Based on police investigations, the mother and her friends were found to be addicts and had the tendency to harm the baby.
Doctors who attended to the baby also confirmed the bruises on his forehead, face and left side of his stomach. His right eye was also bleeding.