Johor housewife charged with murdering 16-month-old step-granddaughter in Kota Tinggi

A 39-year-old housewife, Nurul Farhana Laily Shah, has been charged with the murder of her 16-month-old step-granddaughter, Nur Anggun Dahlia Abdullah, in Kota Tinggi. The incident is said to have occurred between 12:30pm on July 30 and 9:30am on July 31 at a residence on Jalan SS 6/13 in Taman Sri Saujana. The charge against Nurul Farhana falls under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which includes the possibility of the death penalty or a sentence of between 30 to 40 years in prison upon conviction.

Alternatively, if the death penalty is not imposed, she would face a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. The prosecution is being handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Afiqah Musa, while Nurul Farhana is represented by counsel Lydiana Mansor and Farah Yasmin. Bail was not granted to the accused due to the non-bailable nature of the charge.

The court has set December 11 for the mention and submission of chemical, autopsy, and DNA reports. Previously, Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad announced that three individuals, including the victim's step-grandmother, had been detained to aid in the murder investigation following an incident at their home. Initially, the step-grandmother had reported the baby's death to the police on July 31, stating that the baby had died while sleeping in their home.

However, an autopsy conducted at Pasir Gudang Hospital revealed that the baby's cause of death was due to abdominal and chest trauma from blunt force, along with several wounds and bruises on her body.