SHAH ALAM: The High Court here yesterday reduced to five years the jail sentence on a woman found guilty of intentionally causing the death of her newborn by flinging the baby girl from the second floor of her house two years ago.
Judge Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi reduced the jail sentence after allowing an appeal by a former restaurant assistant, Noor Atika Kamarolzaman, 20, against the 12 years’ jail sentence imposed by the Selayang Sessions Court in January last year.
However, he upheld the RM5,000 fine, in default five months’ jail, meted out by the lower court.
In the judgment, Ahmadi said the decision was made after studying the submissions by both parties and that he agreed with the testimony on Noor Atika from post traumatic stress disorder.
“Therefore, I find the jail sentence meted out on her excessive. Hence, I allowed the appeal by the accused and reduced the jail sentence to five years from the date of her arrest,” he added.
On Jan 30 last year, Selayang Sessions Court Judge Maziah Joary Mohd Tajudin sentenced Noor Atika to 12 years’ jail and RM5,000 fine, in default five months’ jail, after the woman pleaded guilty to causing the death of her baby.
The offence was committed at B7-2 Taman Selayang Segar 2 near here between 3.30am and 7.15am on Oct 30, 2011.
Horrified residents found the dead bloodstained baby in the drain.
One of them called the police, who had rushed to the flat and followed the bloody trail from the second floor landing to a nearby unit.
The police team found the accused inside the unit, and she admitted that the baby was hers.
She was then sent to Selayang Hospital for medical examination.
Further investigation found the baby had just been born early that morning and was still alive when thrown out of the flat.
Noor Atika was charged on Jan 12, when she pleaded guilty to the charge. — Bernama