Court remands man for further probe of abandoned newborn

SIBU: A local man arrested in connection to a newborn baby boy who was abandoned along Jalan Tong Sang yesterday (Oct 29), has been remanded for six days to facilitate investigations.

Magistrate Oon Kork Chern granted the remand after hearing an application from the prosecuting officer ASP Siti Mariyah Dahari, who initially requested a seven-day remand to assist with the investigation.

The court, however, approved only six days and ordered the 44-year-old suspect to reappear before the court on Nov 5.

According to a statement issued by Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili in a statement, the male suspect along with a 14-year-old teenage girl were taken into custody in connection with a baby boy found in a rubbish basin.

“The newborn, found with the umbilical cord attached, has been sent to Sibu Hospital for examination and further treatment.

“Examinations at the hospital’s emergency room revealed that the baby, weighing 1.48kg, was born normally with no signs of injury on the body,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code for concealing the birth of a baby with intent to abandon. If convicted, it provides for a prison sentence of up to two years, or a fine, or both.