By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Sep 8: A 51-year-old caregiver has been fined RM5,000 by the Kuching Sessions Court after admitting to mistreating a five-year-old girl with autism who was under her supervision, leaving the child injured.
Judge Musli Ab Hamid handed down the fine to Ya’ani Musa after she pleaded guilty under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001. Alongside the fine, she was ordered to enter a three-year good behaviour bond worth RM2,000 with one surety, and to carry out 100 hours of community service within six months.
The incident happened at a rehabilitation centre in Batu 8, Kuching, around 8.30am on May 26, 2025.
The child’s mother first spotted something wrong while getting her daughter ready for a bath; she found reddish marks on the neck and bruising across several parts of the body. She raised the issue with one of the centre’s teachers to get an explanation.
Ya’ani later admitted she had been rough while scrubbing the child during a cold-water bath, describing it as negligence on her part. She offered to cover the child’s medical costs and urged the mother not to file a police report.
When the mother tried to obtain CCTV footage to see what had happened, she was told the centre had no authority to release it.
A follow-up examination revealed bruising on the girl’s chest, back, right thigh, and the right side of her neck, injuries believed to be linked to the caregiver’s rough handling while bathing her.
Unsatisfied with the response she’d received, the mother went to the police, and Ya’ani was arrested on May 29, 2025.
She was represented by lawyers Gerald Empaling Donald and Steven Beti. — DayakDaily
