KUALA LUMPUR: A kindergarten principal was fined the maximum RM2,000 by the Ampang Sessions Court here today after pleading guilty to causing injury by twisting a six-year-old pupil’s ear for incorrectly writing the letter “G” last year.
Judge Nurulizwan Ahmad Zubir handed down the sentence to the 61-year-old woman and ordered her to serve 20 days in jail if she failed to pay the fine.
She was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to the girl by twisting her ear at the kindergarten in Taman Cempaka here at 11.30 am on March 6, 2024. The charge, under Section 323 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum jail term of one year, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.
According to the case facts, on March 6 last year, the victim’s 37-year-old mother was informed by her 10-year-old eldest child that the accused had struck the victim’s right hand with a marker pen.
The accused had also pulled and twisted the girl’s ear for writing the letter “G” incorrectly. A medical examination later confirmed soft tissue injuries to the victim’s right ear.
Earlier, the accused’s lawyer, Jenifer Irithusamy, requested a minimal fine to give her client a chance to rebuild her life.
“The accused is a single mother with two children and works as a kindergarten principal, earning RM3,000 a month. She has apologised to the court, the police and the victim and has promised not to repeat the offence.
“Each year, 15 to 20 children are enrolled in the kindergarten, and my client hopes she will be given a second chance to change. Many children under her care have grown into intelligent individuals, and she deeply wishes to spend the rest of her life with her beloved family,” the lawyer said.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Hairuliqram Hairuddin, however, urged for a proportionate sentence, arguing that public interest outweighed personal circumstances and that a guilty plea should not automatically warrant a lenient punishment.
