Boy chained to gas cylinder: Mar 15 final date for case management

KUANTAN: The sessions court here today fixed Mar 15 as the final date for case management of a child abuse case involving a 10-year-old boy who was allegedly chained by the neck to a gas cylinder in October last year.
Judge Datuk Unaizah Mohd made the decision as the prosecution had not yet received the victim's medical report from Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA).
In today's proceeding, the victim's stepfather, Mohd Farid Fikri Mohammad, 32, and the victim's mother, Fatimah Muhammad Zain, 37, maintained their plea of not guilty.
On the first charge, the accused allegedly chained the victim using a metal chain to a domestic gas cylinder between 1am and 9.15am on Oct 5, 2017.
The charge under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, is punishable under Section 31 (1) of the same Act.
On the second charge, they allegedly left the boy by himself without making any arrangements for his care between 8am to 10.30pm, from Sept 31 till Oct 4.
The charge under Section 33(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code is punishable under Section 31(1) of the same Act.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Farahah Nasri told the court that the hospital was still processing the child's medical report and applied for additional time to enable the HTAA to complete it.
However, defence counsel Noor Svetlana Mohd Noordin applied for a final date for case management. — Bernama