16-month-old girl in Malaysia dies after being allegedly hit by step-grandma

A Malaysian housewife is being charged for allegedly murdering her 16-month-old step-granddaughter.

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said Nurul Farhana Laily Shah, 39, lodged a report on the July 31, claiming that the child was found unresponsive while sleeping at their home in Kota Tinggi, the New Straits Times (NST) reported.

Medical personnel attempted CPR on the child upon arrival, but pronounced her dead at around 10.30am, Malaysian publication The Star reported. 

Police initially investigated the case under neglect resulting in death, but further investigations by a forensic medical specialist revealed that the girl's death was caused by blunt-force trauma to the abdomen and chest allegedly inflicted by Nurul, said Ab Rahaman.

"There were also wounds and bruises on the victim's body, believed to have resulted from abuse that led to her death," NST quoted him as saying.

The case has since been reclassified as murder, which led to the arrest of Nurul, her husband and the girl's mother, who were remanded from Aug 2 to 12.

Checks by the Malaysian authorities found that the trio have no prior criminal records and drug tests returned negative.

According to the police chief, the child had been living with the woman and her husband in Kota Tinggi since birth, while the child's mother went to a vocational college in Johor. 

Nurul will be charged with alleged murder, while her husband and the girl's mother will be released on bond as prosecution witnesses.

If convicted, Nurul will face the death penalty or a jail term between 30 and 40 years. If the death penalty is not imposed, she will also be sentenced to not fewer than 12 strokes of the cane.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com