Husband and wife plead guilty to exposing baby to danger, leading to his death

A husband and wife appeared in court today, admitting to exposing a three-month-old baby under their care to danger, resulting in physical injuries that caused the infant's death. Iqbal Hassan, 36, a factory worker, and Norsiayana Abd Samad, 34, a babysitter, pleaded guilty after an amended charge was read to Judge Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim.

The couple was charged with exposing the child in a manner likely to cause him physical injury, leading to his death, at a house in Taman Rinting, Masai, on July 29 at 1:03pm. Under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, their maximum conviction could entail up to 20 years in prison, a fine of RM50,000 or both. Their legal representative, K Bharathi of the National Legal Aid Foundation, sought a modest bail amount, citing each parent's monthly income of RM3,000 and RM2,000 respectively. The court granted bail of RM7,000 for each accused and ordered them to surrender their passports.