Myanmar Kids as Young as 11 Plead Not Guilty to Threatening Elderly Woman with an Iron Rod in Penang

An elderly woman in Penang was allegedly pelted with stones and an iron rod after reprimanding a group of children for making noise while playing at a nearby playground on 22 October, prompting her to lodge a police report out of fear.

Following the incident, three foreign boys, aged between 11 and 12, were charged with criminally threatening their elderly neighbour.

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Three Myanmar children plead not guilty to threatening elderly woman in Penang

All three accused pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out for the second time before Magistrate Roshayati Radellah at the Magistrates’ Court today (30 October), as reported by Harian Metro.

They were jointly accused of threatening to hurt the 71-year-old woman using several objects, including a mop, an iron rod, a white fluorescent light tube and stones.

The alleged incident took place in front of a house at No. 23, Tingkat Binjai Empat Belas, Taman Sri Rambai, at around 6:00 PM. The charges were brought under Section 506 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same code. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.

During the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Zulfadzli Hassan proposed bail of RM4,000 for each child, with one local surety, and requested that their travel documents be surrendered to the court.

He also requested additional conditions requiring the children to report to a nearby police station every two weeks and prohibiting them and their respective families from contacting or disturbing the victim.

The court rejects bail application

The National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) lawyer Nur Najihah Ahmad Zulkarnain, who represented the children, asked the court to consider their young ages and family circumstances when deciding on the bail application.

She told the court that two of the children are still attending school, while the other 11-year-old is not enrolled in school. She also explained that two of their mothers are housewives, while the third works in a factory. Their fathers, meanwhile, work as labourers and earn around RM100 a day.

Despite the appeal, the court rejected the bail application and set 10 November for the submission of documents and the appointment of a Myanmar interpreter to read the charges to the children again.

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