Fadley Faisal
The Intermediate Court yesterday handed a six years’ jail term to a local woman who pleaded guilty to charges of physically abusing her nephew in the case involving the death of a four-year-old boy.
Nur Amal Shakinah binti Ahmad Termizi pleaded guilty to four counts of physical abuse against her nephew.
Earlier in mitigation, the defendant sought leniency as she has two young children of her own to take care of.
Judge Radin Safiee bin Radin Mas Basiuni took into account the prevailing aggravating factors where the defendant committed a gross abuse of trust as she was the maternal aunt to the vulnerable child, among others.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Fitri binti Kiprawi revealed in court that the 23-year-old defendant’s younger sister asked her to watch over her child, the victim, in July 2022 as she was going through a divorce and works shifts in the Belait District.
Since then, the victim had been living with the defendant and her husband in Kampong Meragang.
The events leading up to the discovery of the victim’s ordeal and death started on September 16, 2022 at about 11pm when the victim was brought to the Accident and Emergency Department, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital by the defendant and her husband as the victim was unconscious and his skin had turned blue.
On arrival, CPR and resuscitation were performed by the hospital personnel. The victim gained consciousness but was weak. He was admitted to the High Dependency Unit, Children’s Ward at the Women and Children’s Centre.
During further medical examination by the doctor and hospital personnel, the consultant paediatric noticed several injuries on the victim’s face, chest and shoulders.
The hospital personnel were instructed to monitor the victim and not allow the victim’s family members to visit him in the ward overnight.
A police report was lodged by the hospital personnel the next day. The victim was pronounced dead on September 17, 2022 at about 11am.
The police report led to the defendant and her husband’s arrest and investigations revealed the defendant’s abusive actions towards the victim.
The defendant repeatedly physically abused the victim, and once while she was high on methylamphetamine.
