By Christina Tan

SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA: A mother charged with killing her two-year-old daughter in 2004 broke down and cried after the Shah Alam High Court freed her of a murder charge on Wednesday.

Norhayati Nordin, 29, was held five years ago for allegedly murdering her second child, Nur Iszyani Amylia Ahmad Iskandar.

The former assistant credit controller with a housing developer was accused of committing the crime at their home in Damansara Damai, Sungai Buloh, between April 25 and 26, 2004.

Judicial Commisioner Mohd Yazid Mustafa ruled that the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against the woman and acquitted her without her defence being called.

He said he had found no direct or circumstantial evidence that could link her to the murder.

He noted that the person who conducted the post-mortem was never called to testify. The post-mortem report had stated that the cause of death was internal bleeding of the liver and intestine due to blunt force trauma.

Welfare workers also failed to show that the accused had caused the girl's death, he said.

Norhayati hugged her daughter Nurzulaika, also two years old, and cried uncontrollably as she walked out the courtroom.

She said the past five years had not been easy for her.

"I had to face the pain of being hated, cursed and accused by the people around me. I could not live like an ordinary person although I was out on bail," she said, adding that decision by the court would help her regain her dignity.

Norhayati, who was accompanied by her husband, said she wished to begin a new life.