A foreign couple have been charged with the murder of a five-year-old boy, who was the son of the female accused, at the Magistrate’s Court in Penang.
The accused, Dina Hayati, 30, an Indonesian national, and her Bangladeshi partner, Sany, 34, indicated that they understood the charge when it was read before Magistrate Noor Idayu Salim.
No plea was recorded, as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
According to the charge, the pair allegedly acted with a common intention to murder the five-year-old boy, who was a holder of a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card.
The alleged offence took place in the living room of a house in Lintang Merak, Sungai Dua, at about 9.30am on July 23.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which carries the death penalty or up to 40 years’ imprisonment and not fewer than 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Danial Amir Saad requested no bail and sought a two-month adjournment to allow investigators to obtain DNA analysis results.
The court denied bail and fixed October 6 for the next case mention.
After the proceedings, the woman was seen crying and wiping away her tears with her headscarf.
The case came after the five-year-old boy was pronounced dead while receiving treatment at Penang Hospital, where medical staff reportedly discovered bruises on his body, prompting a police investigation.
