TUARAN: The Magistrate’s Court here yesterday sentenced a foreign woman to three years’ jail for neglecting her child who has passed away.
Fillipina Luchille, 24, had pleaded guilty before magistrate Herlina Muse to neglecting her two-year-old daughter between December 2013 and February, 2014, at a home in Kampung Berungis, Tuaran.
The charge under Section 31 (1) (a) of the Child Act 2001 is punishable with a fine of up to RM2,000, or a jail term of up to 10 years, or both, upon conviction.
According to the facts of case, the victim was sent to the hospital unconscious on Feb 28, and passed away on the same day.
It was found through post-mortem that the victim suffered from, among others, injuries on her right thigh, mouth, nose, bruises on her face and skull fractures.
In mitigating for a lenient sentence, the accused said that she was not gainfully employed and had committed the offence due to emotional stress.
In reply, prosecuting officer Inspector Azaman Hamat pleaded for a heavy sentence as the accused had the responsibility to protect her own child.