Malaysia jails ex-babysitter for 1 year over toddler’s death

A former babysitter has been sentenced to one year in jail and fined 15,000 ringgit (US$3,800) by a court in Malaysia for negligence resulting in a toddler’s death.Judge N. Kanageswari on Monday also ordered Khairunnisa Ahmad Damamhuri, 41, to serve an additional four months if she fails to pay the fine, and to complete 48 hours of community service within six months of her release.She was also placed on a one-year good behaviour bond of 5,000 ringgit without collateral.Khairunnisa was charged with negligence leading to the death of 15-month-old Nour Rania Asyifaa Yuseri, known as “Baby Syifaa”, at a nursery in Bandar Sri Senda­yan at around 12.30pm on February 22, 2022.She was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which relates to any person responsible for a child’s care who abuses, neglects, abandons or exposes the child in a manner likely to cause physical or emotional harm. Offenders face up to 20 years in jail, a fine of up to 50,000 ringgit, or both.In July 2024, the Coroner’s Court ruled that Baby Syifaa died from compression of the neck after becoming entangled in a cloth cradle. It also found that she had been left unsupervised in a room for two hours before her death.