Man jailed, fined RM20,000 for hitting daughter with iron rod

PETALING JAYA: A man was sentenced to a month's jail and fined RM20,000, in default a year's jail, by the Sessions Court here today for hitting his 11-year-old daughter with a piece of iron rod from a cabinet.
Judge Hilmiah Yusof meted out the sentence on Ng Beng Chun, 41, who pleaded guilty to the charge.
Ng was ordered to serve the jail sentence from today.
Before handing down the sentence, Hilmiah told Ng that as a father, he should protect his daughter.
"To educate a child should not be to an extent of causing hurt, although the child is your own. As a child, she/he has the rights as a citizen to be protected under the law.
"Accept the punishment as a lesson," she said.
Ng, who is self-employed was charged with committing the offence at a house in Pangsapuri Cempaka, Jalan Prima 7/1, Taman Puchong Prima, here at 7pm on July 8, 2016.
He was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which provides a fine of up to RM50,000, or imprisonment for up to 20 years, or both, upon conviction.
Earlier, the prosecution, conducted by deputy public prosecutor Shafiq Hasim asked for the prison sentence to be meted on the accused on grounds that he admitted to abusing the child since she was six years old.
"The medical report also showed many old scars on the child," he said.
In mitigation, Ng said his intention was to educate the child and that he had lost his marriage, family and job because of the case. — Bernama