Photo shows the exterior of the Kuching Court Complex. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Dec 6): The Sessions Court here today ordered an Indonesian woman charged with infanticide over the death of her newborn baby, to undergo mental observation at Sentosa Hospital for a month.
Judge Saiful Bahari Adzmi made the order after allowing an application by counsel Ralph Lee for Jamilah Amin, 23, to be sent to the hospital for mental observation.
In his submission, Lee applied for Jamilah to undergo observation due to the possibility of her unsound mind in pursuant to Section 342(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
The court then fixed Jan 22, 2024 for the further mention of the case.
Jamilah claimed trial to the charge under Section 309B of the Penal Code for infanticide, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine, upon conviction.
She is accused of causing the death of her newborn baby girl at a dumpster behind an eatery in MJC, Batu Kawa here at around 9.50pm on Nov 22, 2023.
In a separate courtroom, Jamilah pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman to a charge of entering Malaysia without having a valid travel document.
The charge under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 is punishable under Section 6(3) of the same Act, which carries a fine of not less than RM10,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or both, upon conviction.
Afidah fixed Jan 22, 2024, for further mention of the case pending Jamilah’s detainment at the psychiatric ward.
The cases were prosecuted by deputy public prosecutors Mohammad Fauzan Zamri and Iezzah Iburdanisha Ibrahim respectively.
