By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, March 3: A 24-year-old local woman was fined RM4,000, or six months’ imprisonment in default, by the Magistrates’ Court here after pleading guilty to disposing of a fetus in a shrub-covered area in Taman Malihah earlier this year.
The single woman admitted to the charge before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan today.
She was prosecuted under Section 318 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum punishment of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. The offence occurred on January 28.
Court proceedings revealed that the woman sought medical attention at a hospital for abdominal pain and bleeding. A medical examination indicated signs consistent with a recent delivery, prompting hospital staff to file a police report.
Investigations by the police later established that she had discovered her pregnancy in late December 2025 after a delayed menstrual cycle and a home pregnancy test. She had informed her boyfriend, and the couple had planned to marry in February 2026.
On Jan 28 at around 5pm, while bathing at home, she unexpectedly expelled the fetus. In a state of shock and unsure of what to do, she placed it in a food container. With no other family members aware, she left her home, drove to a nearby overgrown area, and buried it in a shallow hole dug by hand.
The woman did not disclose the incident to her family or her boyfriend. However, when her abdominal pain continued the following day, she sought medical care accompanied by her boyfriend, leading to the discovery and subsequent police investigation.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Fauzulutfi Suriani represented the prosecution, while the accused was defended by lawyers Milton Foo and Joanne Loy. — DayakDaily
