Restaurant worker jailed 3 months, fined RM5,000 for concealing child’s birth

A restaurant worker was sentenced to three months’ jail and fined RM5,000 by the magistrates’ court here today after she pleaded guilty to concealing the birth of her child by dumping the body in a drain.

Magistrate Nur Athirah Hashim ordered Nur Ain Adilin Rofiza, 23, to serve an additional five months in jail if she failed to pay the fine.

Nur Ain was charged with committing the offence at the low-cost housing area at Padang Setengge here at 10pm on Oct 15.

The charge was framed under Section 318 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum jail term of two years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Earlier, lawyer Nor Aziah Bunawan from the National Legal Aid Foundation urged the court to impose a minimum sentence in the form of a fine, saying the accused was still young and had acted out of panic.

“The accused’s guilty plea has saved the court and prosecution time. She has also expressed remorse for her actions and pledged not to repeat the offence,” she said.

Deputy public prosecutor Nur Anith Nabilah Rusli requested a jail term, citing humanitarian considerations as the case involved the accused’s own child, and to serve as a deterrent to others.

Hulu Terengganu district police chief Sharudin Abdul Wahab had said earlier that the infant’s body, with its head and one arm missing, had been found in a drain in the area on Oct 16.

He said the post-mortem examination confirmed that the infant was full-term.