KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- An Indonesian domestic helper was sentenced to four years' jail by the Sessions Court here today after she pleaded guilty to neglecting a boy, resulting in his death by drowning in an adult swimming pool last month.
Judge Suhaila Haron imposed the jail sentence on Wahyuni Tanjung, 44, and ordered it to run from the date of her arrest on July 29.
According to the charge, Wahyuni, as a person responsible for the care of a two-year-three-month-old boy, neglected the child, resulting in his death.
She was charged with committing the offence at the adult swimming pool of a residential complex in Sentul between 6 pm and 7 pm on July 28, under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the victim’s mother had instructed the accused, who was employed as her domestic helper, to take the victim and his five-year-old brother to the swimming pool at their residential complex on the day of the incident.
At about 7 pm, the accused contacted the victim’s mother to inform her that the child had drowned, after which a member of the public performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him.
The victim was subsequently taken to Selayang Hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he was pronounced dead at 4 am the following day.
An autopsy conducted by the Kuala Lumpur Hospital Forensic Department found that the cause of death was consistent with drowning.
Investigations found that the accused, who had worked for only a month, had taken the victim and his brother to an adult swimming pool without any swimming aids despite knowing that both children could not swim, and left them unattended when she went to the toilet.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Md Subri Hashim urged the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a lesson to the accused and other child caregivers.
“The accused, as a person employed by the victim’s mother to work and assist in caring for the children, should not have left the victim and his brother without proper supervision.
“The court should take into account the seriousness of the offence, which resulted in the death of the victim, who should have had the opportunity to live a longer life,” he said.
Wahyuni, who was unrepresented, appeared emotional when shown photographs from the victim’s autopsy report.
The accused did not appeal for a lighter sentence but told the court that her husband had died 14 years ago and that she had a 16-year-old son in Indonesia.
--BERNAMA