Handcuffed mum bids farewell to 4-year-old son who died after suspected abuse , Latest World News - The New Paper
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Handcuffed mum bids farewell to 4-year-old son who died after suspected abuse

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JOHOR BARU - A woman in handcuffs tearfully bade farewell on Wednesday to the lifeless body of her 4-year-old son who died from suspected abuse by his guardians, while she was behind bars.

Flanked by two prison officers in Johor Bahru, the woman who was dressed in purple prison clothes wept as she said goodbye to her late son, Bernama news agency reported. Both the mother and the child cannot be named to protect the minor’s identity.

Both the woman and her husband are serving jail sentences for drug offences. She is understood to be jailed at Simpang Renggam Prison in Kluang, Johor, while the husband is at Sungai Udang Prison in Melaka, the news agency said.

The woman was later led from the forensics room of Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) in Johor Bahru to a prison van.

The boy, the youngest of 11 siblings, died on Dec 26, four days after being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of HSI, Bernama reported, after becoming unconscious at the house of his older sister’s friend in Batu Pahat.

A relative of the victim, Ruslan Ahmad, 47, who previously had brief custody of the boy, expressed his sadness when met at the HSI. He said the boy was under the care of the Social Welfare Department for three years before being handed over to his guardianship for a month.

But the boy was later placed under the guardianship of another close relative of the mother.

Bruises from being hit and burn marks were among the worst injuries inflicted on the boy, Bernama reported.

Five individuals, aged 15 to 37, have been detained by the police to help in investigations, including the boy’s 19-year-old sister, her 37-year-old husband and a friend, the report said.

malaysiaCRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN/MINORSMURDER/MANSLAUGHTERJohor Bahru