Innocent victim: A screengrab from the video showing the baby laying at the side of the bed after being kicked by her mother.
IPOH: A domestic tiff between a teenage couple is believed to be the cause for the alleged abuse of their five-month-old daughter.
Acting Perak deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim said investigations showed the father, 18, and his 17-year-old wife were going through a divorce and arguing, resulting in the girl taking her anger out on her baby.
“We have detained the mother. She has no previous conviction and we are waiting for a medical report on her mental state,” he told reporters at a blood drive organised by the state police contingent here yesterday.
SAC Mohd Dzuraidi said the teenage mum and her husband were unemployed and staying with their respective families.
A 48-second video showing the mother repeatedly slapping and kicking the baby went viral on social media.
In the video, she could be heard saying “diam” (shut up) repeatedly while beating the baby, who was crying non-stop.
SAC Mohd Dzuraidi said the video was recorded by the girl’s mother.
“The child’s grandmother lodged a police report after realising the video had gone viral,” he said, adding that the baby was now under the care of the mother’s family and was being monitored by the state Welfare Department.
He said police had received a medical report on the baby and she was not seriously injured.
“We will take action against anyone found to have caused injuries to a child,” he said, adding that those found guilty of abusing children could be fined RM20,000 or jailed for not more than 10 years under the Child Act 2001.
TheStar
.jpg)
