Two former childcare workers were sentenced to a year in prison for physically abusing infants at a Kuala Lumpur nursery, a case that sparked public outrage.
KUALA LUMPUR: Two former caregivers were each jailed one year by the Sessions Court here today after pleading guilty to abusing a nine-month-old baby girl and a six-month-old baby boy at a childcare centre last December.
Judge Noridah Adam sentenced Perada Randai, 27, and Yella Prissillia, 29, who were charged separately.
Perada, from Sibu, Sarawak, admitted abusing the baby girl by slapping her cheeks and knocking her head, while Yella, an Indonesian national, admitted pinching the baby boy’s legs, covering his face with a pillow and forcing him to drink milk.
The offences were committed at a childcare centre in Kampung Baru Salak Selatan here between 8 am and 6 pm on Dec 15 last year.
The charges were framed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Adiba Iman Hassan urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, citing the victims’ injuries, tender age and vulnerable condition.
Perada’s counsel appealed for leniency, saying his client had a 10-month-old child and had never been separated from the baby. Yella, who was unrepresented, apologised and promised not to repeat the offence.
In a victim impact statement, the mother of the baby boy, Nur Fathin Liyana Zulkifli, said her child was now being cared for by her parents after she and her husband lost trust in outside caregivers.
“I suffered four miscarriages before this child was born. Having a child was not easy and my baby is still traumatised by what happened,” she said tearfully.
The case drew public attention after CCTV footage went viral on social media allegedly showing a six-month-old infant being thrown, rolled and slapped by a caregiver at the nursery.
The footage sparked outrage and concern among parents, amid claims that several other infants had also been abused at the premises.
