AN Indonesian maid, who was previously charged with the murder of her newborn, today was sentenced to two years in jail by the Shah Alam High Court for negligence, which resulted in the death of the baby.

Judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa meted out the sentence on Welmince Alunat, 40, after she pleaded guilty to committing the offence at a laundry room of a house in Taman Cempaka in Ampang at 7am on August 22, 2019.

He made the decision after amending the original murder charge under section 302 of the penal code, which carries a mandatory death penalty, to causing death by negligence under section 304 (A) of the same Act, which provides for a maximum jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both.

Yazid said after considering the facts of the case, the court has submitted the amended charge under section 304(A) after finding the accused should not have been charged under section 302.

He said at the end of the prosecution case, he found that there were haste and negligence by the accused, which resulted in the death of her baby.

He then ordered the accused to serve the jail sentence from the date of her arrest, August 22, 2019. 

Welmince, who has been on remand since the date of her arrest, was freed today.

Before this, the court heard the testimony of prosecution witnesses and today was set for a decision at the end of the prosecution case.

Deputy public prosecutor Wan Ariff Muzammil Wan Mohamed prosecuted while lawyers S. Selvi, Lim Wei Qi and Ho Zhi Qian represented the accused. – Bernama, December 3, 2021.