Stepfather Jailed 5 Years For Hitting Girl’s Hand With Durian Husk

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A man has been sentenced to five years in prison for physically abusing his stepdaughter by slamming her hand with a durian husk and soaking it in salt water

In a proceeding yesterday, 24 July, Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge Mohd Zaki Mohd Salleh ordered Bunyamin Sukiman, 42, to begin serving his sentence from the date of his arrest on 18 July, after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

His wife, Yorlini Abdullah Umar, 32 — who is also the victim's biological mother — was fined RM18,000, with a three-month jail term to be served if she fails to pay, reported Bernama.

According to the fact sheet, the abuse came to light after the 7-year-old victim was called in by her school's senior assistant for student affairs over an allegation that she had cut another student's headscarf.

Although she was found innocent, the questioning led her to reveal that she had been subjected to repeated abuse at home.

The victim said she had been beaten and had her ear twisted by both her mother and stepfather. She also said her stepfather had punched her.

In one incident, he placed her hand on the floor and slammed a durian husk onto it, causing injuries.

The wounded hand was then soaked in warm salted water, wrapped with adhesive tape, and left overnight.

Both Bunyamin and Yorlini were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment, a RM50,000 fine, or both upon conviction

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Ravindejit Kaur urged the court to impose a heavy sentence, stressing that the child deserved protection, especially from her own parents.

"The act of pressing a durian husk onto the child's hand and soaking it in salt water is an act of extreme cruelty. Parents are supposed to protect their children, not unleash violence on them," she told the court.

In pleading for leniency, the couple's lawyer stated that Yorlini was unemployed and financially dependent on Bunyamin, who worked as a vehicle sales advisor and was the family's sole breadwinner.

It is understood that the couple has two children.

The New Straits Times reported that Yorlini broke down in tears in the dock as the facts of the case were read out in court.