Housewife nabbed for suspected abuse of stepdaughter
KUCHING: A housewife, 25, in Bau was arrested by the police around 4.50pm Wednesday (April 17) for allegedly abusing her six-year- old stepdaughter.
Bau District police chief DSP Poge Nyaon in confirming the arrest said the suspect is currently in the lockup and would be investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.
“The woman was arrested at an unumbered house in Jalan Serikin, Bau. The police also interviewed the woman’s husband who claimed that he had on numerous occasions told his wife not to be too rough when disciplining the girl,” Poge said yesterday.
The victim, he added, is now undergoing a medical check-up at the Sarawak General Hospital while a team from the Sarawak Police Contingent’s Child Interview Centre (CIC) would be recording her statement.
Poge said the alleged abuse came to light when a doctor visited the girl’s school in Bau for a vaccination programme.
“During the examination, the doctor spotted bruises on the girl’s body and decided to examine the bruises more closely,” he added.
The doctor then discovered that the victim’s torso, hands and legs were covered in bruises and cuts, some of which are still new. The doctor then proceeded to lodge a police report.
It was also revealed that the girl’s biological mother is her own aunt (suspect’s sister), who now lives in Miri with a new husband.
The suspect gained parental custody of the girl on Jan 23, 2017.
Meanwhile, the public are advised to call the Welfare Department’s Helpline at 082- 514141 if they have any information on child abuse happening in their midst.