IPOH: Two teachers from a daycare centre have pled not guilty at the Sessions Court in Ipoh for unintentionally causing physical harm to five children. Wan Suhaila Mior Khir, 32, and Noor Shafina Abdul Khair, 26, appeared before Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamad on Friday, July 14, to face the charges. The duo faced charges under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum penalty of RM50,000 in fines or a 20-year prison sentence, or both, if convicted.
For the first charge, Wan Suhaila allegedly slapped, pulled, and pushed a two-year-old girl resulting in bruising on her cheeks at a daycare centre in Taman Meru Perdana on July 6. The second charge accuses Wan Suhaila of slapping another two-year-old girl and pushing her head onto a pillow. Lastly, the accused allegedly forcefully pulled a girl’s hair, causing pain, at the centre on July 4.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Qurratu’aini Khalifah requested that bail be denied for the first two charges, while DPP SS Evangelin requested a bail amount of RM15,000 for the third charge. Lawyer Raja Mohd Iskandar Zulkharnian Raja Abdul Malek, who represented Wan Suhaila, asked for a lower bail amount, citing her two-month pregnancy and monthly income of approximately RM1,500. Judge Ainul set bail at RM5,000 with one surety for the first two charges and RM3,000 with one surety for the third charge.
Noor Shafina, another accused, also faced three charges under the same section of the Act. The first two charges claim that she placed her head on a sleeping two-year-old boy and slapped his right thigh harshly. She was also accused of pulling the boy’s shirt over his head and slapping his cheek on the same date mentioned earlier. On the third charge, she was alleged to have roughly pulled a girl’s hair and hit her on the back while attempting to tie her hair. DPP Qurratu’aini requested that bail be denied. Lawyer Mohamad Sharifuddin Zaid, representing Noor Shafina, requested a lower bail amount due to her monthly income of RM1,500. Judge Ainul set bail at RM7,000 with one surety for all three charges and scheduled a mention for all the cases on August 16.
In a separate courtroom, daycare centre owner Rozidah Yahaya, 51, pled not guilty to unintentionally leaving a two-year-old girl unsupervised, which led to an injury on the child’s left hand. She faces charges under Section 33(1)(a) of the Act, which carries a maximum penalty of RM20,000 in fines or up to five years in jail, or both, upon conviction. While waiting to be called, Razidah was seen crying while being handcuffed. DPP K Darinee requested bail to be set at RM12,000, while lawyers Muhd Alif Afandi and Mohamad Salihen Mastor requested a lower amount of RM3,000. Judge Azizah Ahmad set bail at RM4,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month. The mention of the case is scheduled for August 16.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
