KUALA LUMPUR: A resident of Rumah Bonda today admitted that burn marks suffered by Bella, a teenage girl with Down syndrome, were due to hot water from a flask and not from a water dispenser.
Yasmin Nahar Mahmood, 19, agreed with lawyer Nurul Hafidzah Hassan’s suggestion that Bella was playing with the flask in the laundry room of a condominium in Wangsa Maju before the water in the flask spilled on her.
Nurul Hafidzah is representing Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali, who is charged with two counts of neglecting and abusing the teenage girl, causing the victim to suffer physical and emotional injuries.
The offences were allegedly committed at a condominium in Wangsa Maju here between February and June 2021. The offences carry a maximum penalty of 20 years’ jail or a fine of up to RM50,000 or both.
Yasmin, the fifth prosecution witness, also agreed with Nurul Hafidzah’s suggestion that she had told the police the same thing (regarding the flask) on July 7, 2021.
Previously, Yasmin had told the court that Siti Bainun ordered her to splash hot water from the water dispenser on Bella three times a week using a yellow plastic cup without a handle, and a syringe.
Asked by the lawyer whether the cause of the water spill from the flask was due to a scuffle between Bella and another resident, known as Balqis, the witness said she was not sure.
Yasmin, however, did not agree with the suggestion made by another of Siti Bainun’s lawyers, Nur A’minahtul Mardiah Md Nor, that no water dispensers or water heaters were confiscated from the condominium and that the police only took the flask.
Yasmin also disagreed with Nur A’minahtul’s suggestion that she was the one who tied Bella and refused to give the girl a drink of water, as witnessed by a resident named Siti.
She also disagreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that her testimony to the court was fabricated and aimed at putting Siti Bainun behind bars.
Asked by deputy public prosecutor Zahida Zakaria about the piece of cloth allegedly stuffed in Bella’s mouth by Siti Bainun, the witness said she did not tell the police about the matter after Siti Bainun instructed her not to do so.
“If I told the police, I would be scolded. I don’t trust anyone. The cloth was smelly and was thrown away,” said the witness.
The trial continues tomorrow before sessions court judge Izralizam Sanusi. - FMT
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