KUALA LUMPUR – A 35-year-old unemployed man has been sentenced to eight months in jail after pleading guilty to four counts of physically abusing his two children, including forcing them to perform the “duck walk” continuously for extended periods.
The accused was initially charged last Friday. Today, sessions court judge Datin Fadzlin Suraya Mohd Suah delivered the sentence, ordering him to serve his jail term from the date of his arrest on June 1.
Originally, the convict was sentenced to eight months for each of the four counts, but the judge ruled that the sentences would run concurrently.
During mitigation, the man pleaded for leniency, citing his role as the sole carer for his family and expressing remorse. He asked for a second chance to raise his children.
When asked by the judge why he had hit his children, the man claimed he was trying to “teach them” a lesson because they were “acting a bit strange.”
“I didn’t think the situation would escalate to this point,” he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Nidzuwan Abd Latip urged the court to impose a deterrent punishment to set an example for the public.
According to the charge sheet, the man was accused of abusing his 13-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter, causing potential physical and emotional harm.
The offences took place at the People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Kepong Utara between 9pm and midnight on May 30 and June 1.
The charges were framed under Section 31(a) of the Child Act 2001, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000 or up to 20 years imprisonment, or both, upon conviction.
Case details revealed that the accused hit his son’s legs with a badminton racket string and slapped his face.
He also abused his daughter in a similar manner, hitting her face with a badminton racket string from 3pm to 5pm on May 31, and forced both children to perform the duck-walk non-stop from 1am to 5pm on June 1. – June 10, 2024