SIBU: A housewife, who faced two charges of physically abusing her teenage granddaughter under her care, was on today (March 15) fined a total of RM10,000, in default, six months’ imprisonment, by the Sessions Court.
Sessions Court judge Marutin Pagan also ordered Selimah Bilon of Song to undergo 100 hours of community service.In addition, he directed her to enter a RM5,000 bond of good behaviour with one surety for a period of three years.
For each charge against her, Judge Marutin fined her RM5,000, in default, three months’ jail.
In the first charge, Selimah was said to have abused the victim, aged 14, that caused her physical injury at Rumah Aut Nanga Tamalat in Song District at about 8.30pm on Jan 27.
The second charge stated that she did abuse the victim which caused her physical injury at the same longhouse at about 8.35pm on Jan 27.
As such, she has committed an offence under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 (Amendment 2016) (Act 611) which upon conviction is liable to a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment term not more than 20 years or both.
The court shall, in addition, to any punishment specified in subsection (1), order the person convicted of an offence under that subsection to execute a bond with sureties to be of good behaviour bond for such period as Court deems fit as well as to execute community services.
According to the fact of case, at about 9.30pm on Jan 27 at the Song Health Clinic, the complainant, Dr Maisarah Othman, conducted a medical examination on the victim.
As a result, she found that the victim had several injuries on her body, including a swollen neck.
She was told by the victim that the injuries were inflicted by her grandmother. The complainant then made a police report regarding the matter.
Acting on information received, a police party led by Sgt Nur Aida Faridah proceeded and arrested the accused at the longhouse.
Police investigation revealed that the cause of the incident; the accused was angry when the victim did not pay heed to her reprimand against the victim who likes to wander into other units of houses at the longhouse.
At the same time the victim who is a form one student asked for RM50 from the accused for school expenses and this caused the accused to become infuriated and act to injure the victim.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) David Bakit while Selimah was unrepresented by legal counsel.
She was ordered to serve the imprisonment sentence for failing to pay the fine.
