A MOTHER and her female friend were sentenced to 35 years in prison by the Kuala Lumpur High Court today for the murder of a 23-month-old baby boy at a house in Presint 5, Putrajaya, five years ago.

Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin handed down the sentence to Nor Aisyah Mohd Yunus, 40, the baby’s mother, and her housemate, Noor Aisyah Ibrahim, 37.

The decision was based on the finding that the defence was unable to raise any reasonable doubt after the case.

“After examining the testimony of all the defence witnesses, including the two accused, the court found that the two accused failed to explain as to how the victim got injured, while they admitted that the victim was in the house at the time of the incident.

“Therefore, the court sentenced each accused to 35 years imprisonment, starting from the date of arrest on November 4, 2019,” said the judge.

As per the charge sheet, the two women, both civil servants, are jointly accused of the murder of the toddler at a residence in Jalan P5A/5 Phase 5R4, Presint 5, Putrajaya, between the middle of September 2019 and November 4, 2019.

The charge is framed under section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with section 34 of the same law which provides for the death penalty or imprisonment for a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 40 years. If not sentenced to death, the convicted individuals shall be subjected to not less than 12 strokes of the rotan.

DPPs Norashikin Ibrahim, Mohd Isa Mohamed and Noor Dayana Mohamad Norashikin Ibrahim, Mohd Isa Mohamed, and Noor Dayana Mohamad represented the prosecution, while lawyers Najib Zakaria and Mohd Azrul Hasyimi Mohammad represented the accused.

The trial, which commenced in November 2021, saw a total of 19 prosecution witnesses and nine defence witnesses, including the two accused, providing testimony.

The media previously reported that the toddler was brought by his parent to Serdang Hospital with 89 bruises, swelling and injuries all over his body.

The results of the post-mortem revealed that the cause of death was injuries to the hip and liver due to blunt force trauma. – Bernama, January 12, 2024.