KUCHING – A factory worker has been fined RM3,000 by the magistrates’ court here today in default of nine months’ jail, for concealing the birth of her foetus by flushing it down a toilet.
Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan imposed the sentence on the 31-year-old from Kota Samarahan, after she pleaded guilty to a charge framed under Section 318 of the Penal Code.
This carries a jail term of up to two years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
She committed the offence at the toilet of a factory in Sama Jaya here around 12.05am on June 12, 2023.
Based on the facts of the case, on June 16, a male factory worker called the police after he discovered a dead foetus in the factory’s sewage tank. Following the information from the worker, police arrested the woman on June 20, 2023.
The results of the examination and DNA analysis by the Chemistry Department confirmed that the woman was indeed the foetus’ mother.
It is understood that the woman was unaware she was pregnant and that she often suffered menstrual pain and had an imbalanced menstrual cycle.
On June 12, she claimed that she had a stomach ache and rushed to the toilet. While she was urinating, she saw many blood clots and felt an “object” had come out of her private parts.
The woman, who almost fainted after seeing so much blood, also claimed that she did not know what the “object” was and immediately flushed the toilet.
She sought medical help the next day and was given painkillers as well as medication to reduce the blood flow.
Inspector Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang prosecuted the case while the woman was unrepresented by legal counsel. – October 5, 2023