A couple from Johor were slapped with a fine and ordered to do hundreds of hours in community service after they were convicted of locking a child inside a toilet and starving him.
The accused were the boy’s father R. Thayalan and his girlfriend K. Mageswari, who pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court yesterday (Feb 4).
Johor couple forces 7yo boy to drink toilet water
According to the charge sheet, the couple were accused of locking the 7-year-old child inside the toilet and giving him only tiny amounts of bread or rice each day at a house in Taman Pulai Jaya between July and October 2023.
As such, the boy was forced to quell his hunger by drinking water straight from the toilet bowl.
The couple were charged under Section 33(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglect, reported The Star.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Maisarah Hassan, while the couple were represented by P. Rajagunaseelan.
‘I’m scared to go anywhere’
An impact statement by the victim was read out in court, where the boy shared how the neglect had left deep psychological scars.
I used to live with my father and his girlfriend, who I called Kakak (sister). Kakak forced me to drink toilet water and only gave me a piece of bread and a little rice every day.
“Now, I am scared to go to school or anywhere because I am afraid Kakak will come looking for me again.”
Fined RM17k, ordered to do 440 hours of community service
Nor Maisarah asked for a heavy punishment to be imposed on the couple as a way to deter future child neglect cases.
On the other hand, Rajagunaseelan pleaded for a lower fine, saying one of his clients was a van driver who earned between RM1,500 and RM1,800, while the other is jobless.
He added that Thalayan works part-time as a car washer, where he earned an allowance on an hourly basis.
Sessions judge Thalha Bachok @ Embok Mok fined Thayalan RM8,000 and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service.
As for Mageswari, she was fined RM9,000 and sentenced to 240 hours of community service.
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