THE Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court has ordered Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali to enter her defence on charges of neglecting and abusing 13-year-old Bella who has Down syndrome.
According to Bernama, Judge Izralizam Sanusi ruled that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against the 30-year-old woman.
The prosecution closed its case on October 28 after calling 22 witnesses in the trial, which began on March 30 this year.
Among the prosecution witnesses called to testify were Bella, a former resident of Rumah Bonda named Yasmin Nahar Mahmood, psychiatrist Dr Wan Asyikin Wan Azlan, an assistant manager of a company named Zurianty Sudin and plastic surgeon Dr Salmi Mohamed Shukur.
Siti Bainun pleaded not guilty to two charges of abuse and neglect, which resulted in physical and emotional distress to a teenage girl between February and June 2021 at a condominium in Wangsa Maju.
She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years or a fine of RM50,000, or both, if convicted. – Nov 24, 2022
Main photo credit: The Star
