How can people even think of hurting such an innocent little soul?
A babysitter in Kuching was reportedly detained by the police for abusing a 14-month-old baby, causing the baby to be unconscious before she was rushed to Hospital Umum Sarawak on Thursday (25 Oct).
As for the motive behind her actions, it was due to the baby’s mother not paying the babysitter on time.
The mother of the baby, a 17-year-old who works as a saleswoman according to Utusan, last saw her child on Monday (22 Oct). It was believed that the baby was under the care of the suspect for three weeks, from 8am to 10.30pm.
The mother received a WhatsApp message from the suspect on Thursday (25 Oct) saying that her baby was crying until her face became pale. She then immediately went to the suspect’s house, only to find her baby unconscious before she was rushed to the hospital.
The baby was later found to be in critical condition as she had not been fed for almost three weeks. The baby also suffered from a seizure and had an infection in her lungs. On top of that, bruises could be seen on the baby’s head too. Poor baby!
According to Astro Awani, Padawan District police chief Supt Aidil Bolhassan stated that the police have arrested the 23-year-old babysitter on Saturday (27 Oct) at Batu Kawa to assist investigations.
“From the investigation, the suspect confessed to hitting the baby twice in the head using a baby bottle and she hit her with her bare hands once more to stop her from crying,” he said in a statement yesterday (28 Oct).
According to Aidil, the suspect said the reason she did those things was because she was furious for not being paid on time.
This case is now being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, whereby the suspect could be jailed for a maximum of 20 years or fined, or both.
We hope the mother and baby can get through this difficult time.
Also read: 10-Month-Old Baby Dies Under Babysitter’s Care, Suffered Cracked Skull From Falling