SEREMBAN: A 40-year-old woman charged with abandoning her handicapped and mentally challenged 15-year-old son in a filthy flat in Nilai in June has been sentenced to four months imprisonment.

Sessions Court judge Kamarudin Kamsun also ordered Lolanopita Sadi (pic) to pay a RM10,000 fine for the offence.

Lolanopita, who had changed her plea to guilty on Nov 6 was calm when the judge passed sentence.

For the first charge, Lolanopita was accused of deliberately neglecting Muhammad Firdaus between Jan and June 21 in a room of a flat in Taman Semarak in Nilai, which could have caused him physical and emotional harm.

She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 which carries a fine of up to RM20,000 and a maximum 10-year jail term or both upon conviction.

Kamarudin ordered Lolanopita to serve four months in jail and to pay a fine of RM6,000

For the second charge, she was accused of deliberately leaving Muhammad Firdaus without reasonable supervision in the same room at 2.30am on June 26.

For this, she was charged under Section 33(c) of the same Act which provides a fine of up to RM5,000 or jail not exceeding two years or both upon conviction.

Under this charge, Kamarudin ordered her to serve three months in jail and pay a RM4,000 fine.

The judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

Based on the facts of the case, an Immigration team conducting routine checks on illegals in the area on June 21 found Muhammad Firdaus locked in a room in the unit.

The teenager, who was unable to walk, only had a tattered and soiled T-shirt on and was covered in his own faeces and urine.
The entire unit was littered with bits of polystyrene packs which were believed to have been used by the mother to pack food for him.-thestar