KUALA LUMPUR: A man and his ex-wife were charged in the Sessions Court here today with abusing his daughter in a condominium last month.
The 34-year-old man and the 33-year-old woman, who were a married couple when the alleged offence was committed, pleaded not guilty to the charge, read out separately before Judge Egusra Ali.
The man, who is the girl’s biological father, was alleged to have abandoned or exposed his 10 years and nine-month-old daughter in a manner likely to cause her physical or emotional injury at a condominium in Jalan Kuching, Sentul here, between 9 pm and 11 pm last Nov 21.
The woman, who is the girl’s stepmother, is charged with causing physical injury to the girl at the same place, time and date.
They were charged under Section 31 (1) (a) of the Child Act 2001 which provides a fine of up to RM50,000 or a maximum imprisonment of 20 years or both upon conviction.
The court allowed both accused bail of RM10,000 each and also ordered them to report themselves at a police station and not to intimidate witnesses. They were also ordered to surrender their passports to the court.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Nursyuhada Abd Rauf appeared for the prosecution, while lawyers Farriz Minarwan Basaruddin and Mohamad Zainuddin Abu Bakar represented the man and woman, respectively.
The court set Jan 23 for mention.
