Rompin woman gets 2-years' jail for abusing 9-year-old stepdaughter

 

Khairunnisa Abdullah (left) was charged with abusing a 9-year-old girl under her care by pressing a hot knife to the child's arm until she suffered physical injuries. - Photo by ASROL AWANG/NSTP

KUANTAN: A short-tempered woman who pressed a hot knife to her 9-year-old stepdaughter, leaving her with a burn mark, has been sentenced to two years' jail.

Sessions Court judge Siti Aminah Ghazali also imposed a three-year good behaviour bond on Khairunnisa Abdullah.

The 24-year-old labourer was also ordered to carry out 120 hours of community service, and report herself at the nearest police station every month upon completing her sentence.

Khairunnisa was charged with abusing a 9-year-old girl under her care by pressing a hot knife to the child's arm until she suffered physical injuries.

The mother-of-four had committed the act at a house in Cenderawasih near Muadzam Shah in Rompin, at about 3pm on Sept 20.

Counsel Mohd Faizal Hiqram Azmi, who represented Khairunnisa, pleaded for a lower sentence, saying his client, who works in a plantation earning about RM600 a month, had repented and admitted her wrongdoing.

"I hope the court will impose a minimum punishment. Give her a chance to change and the court can choose to impose additional conditions," he said.

Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Sharifah Nurul Syuhada Tuan Mamat requested an appropriate punishment, saying the court should consider the victim's impact statement which was produced before the court.

"The accused is supposed to protect her children. In this incident, the accused took the knife and had time to heat up the knife before pressing it against the girl.

"In the statement, the victim said she was often beaten despite not committing any wrongdoing," she said.

In sentencing Khairunnisa, Siti Aminah also instructed that the jail sentence run from the date of her arrest.

Khairunnisa was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum 20 years' jail, or both, upon conviction.

It was reported that the stepmother told the police that she was angry at the victim for hitting her younger sibling while she and her husband were at work. The incident only came to light when the victim informed her school teacher. - NST