Cops nab man for alleged fatal negligence involving 3-year-old

Port Dickson police say the child sustained bruises on several parts of her body and was pronounced dead at the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital at 6.04pm on March 26. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Police arrested a man in Bandar Sunggala, Port Dickson, on Tuesday to facilitate investigations into the neglect of a three-year-old girl resulting in her death.

Port Dickson police chief Aidi Sham Mohamed said they received a report from Port Dickson Hospital on Sunday that the victim was in critical condition after falling from a vehicle, Bernama reported.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident took place at 8.30pm on March 15, when the suspect, purportedly the boyfriend of the victim’s 38-year-old mother, attempted to open the van’s door when he stopped in front of a shop en route from Taman Anggerik to Taman Mayung, Telok Kemang.

“The child sustained bruises on several parts of her body and was pronounced dead at the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital at 6.04pm on March 26,” he said in a statement today.

Aidi Sham said the suspect tested negative for drugs and has a criminal record.

The suspect has been remanded for six days until April 1 for investigation under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.

According to Section 31(1)(a), any person who has in his or her care a child that is being neglected, abandoned or exposed in a manner likely to cause him/her physical or emotional injury can be fined up to RM20,000, jailed for not more than 10 years, or both upon conviction.