Bella had old and new injuries, court told

 

Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali (right) is facing two charges of neglecting and abusing Bella. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: A police investigating officer told the sessions court that there was no evidence that a thermos flask filled with hot water had fallen onto Bella, a teenage girl with Down Syndrome.

Suhaili Mahad, 31, an inspector with the criminal investigation department, Kuala Lumpur police headquarters, said this was because the thermos flask was in good condition.

“Investigations found that there were no dents or anything to indicate that the flask had fallen,” she said during an examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Zilfinaz Abbas in the trial of Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali.

The 19th prosecution witness said three residents of Rumah Bonda, known as Yasmin, Balqis and Aida, as well as Siti Bainun seemed to give the same script regarding the incident.

“They told the same story where Balqis had chased Bella over some snacks and that Bella had bumped into the thermos and it fell on her, thus injuring her body.

“However, when I asked a doctor who treated Bella in the emergency department, I was told there were a mix of old and new injuries. So, I believe that the thermos incident did not happen,” said the witness.

Lawyer Farhan Maaruf, who represented Siti Bainun, objected to Suhaili’s testimony, saying the witness was not an expert to give findings regarding the condition of the thermos.

Farhan: Suhaili is not an expert to determine the damage to the thermos.

Zilfinaz: It doesn’t need an expert to determine if there is any damage to the thermos. We can see the condition, if it had fallen, it would have dents.

Judge Izralizam Sanusi rejected Farhan’s objection.

Previously, Yasmin Nahar Mahmood, 19, told the court that the burn marks suffered by Bella were due to hot water from a thermos flask and not from a water dispenser.

Siti Bainun, 30, is facing two charges of neglecting and abusing Bella, causing her to suffer physical and emotional injuries, between February and June 2021 at a condominium in Wangsa Maju here.

The trial resumes today. - FMT