Abuse of 4-month-old boy: Nanny remanded a week

Baby was found unconscious in babysitter's house and is in ICU of hospital.

SEREMBAN: A 23-year-old nanny was remanded for seven days from today to assist in investigations into the case of four-month-old baby, Muhammad Ummar Zayyan Mohamad Haikal Hafiz, who became unconscious while under her care.

Seremban district police chief Thiew Hock Poh said the remand order was issued by the Seremban Courts’ Special Remands Assistant Registrar Haryatie Mohd Saini.

“The remand application is to enable police to make further investigations under Section 31 (1) (a) of the Child Act 2001,” he said in a media statement here today.

Yesterday, the woman was detained at the Seremban police headquarters at 8.45pm.

It was previously reported that the baby’s mother, Zura Emilia Mokhtar, had said that her son became unconscious at the house of the babysitter and was being treated at the Paediatric Intensive Care Centre, Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, near here.

She said she came to know the babysitter through Facebook and had been sending her son to her for about a week before the incident occurred.

She said the doctor who treated her son had said the child was bleeding in the brain and breathing with the help of a ventilator.

Meanwhile, commenting on the case, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today said she was saddened by recurring cases of child neglect despite the many measures and advice given.

“I am sad that these cases are still happening. There does not seem to be an end to them even though we have taken steps to prevent and tackle them,” she said.

Wan Azizah, who is also women, family and community development minister, said parents should consider all aspects and the background of any babysitter, especially if they had training, to prevent unpleasant incidents happening.

She said parents must also choose babysitters whose premises are safe for children.

“However, I am aware of the constraints which must be considered, such as transport problems, work issues and the distance away from the babysitter,” she said.

Wan Azizah also urged parents to choose babysitters who are registered with the ministry or other relevant authorities and who do not have a criminal record related to children. -FMT