Alleged Child Abuse Victim In Kuantan Died Of Bleeding In The Oesophagus
The 10-year-old boy was found with many bruises on his limbs and burns on his private parts.
By Tang Ruxyn — 11 Jul 2018, 01:30 PM
A 10-year-old boy in Kuantan, Pahang, died on the way to the hospital on Monday, 9 July
According to Pahang police chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Rosli Abdul Rahman, the boy's mother was said to have made an emergency call to Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) during the 12pm incident, claiming that her son was unconscious at their home in Taman Permatang Badak Maju, Permatang Badak.
After receiving the call from the 29-year-old woman, an ambulance rushed to the boy's home before he was taken to HTAA to receive treatment.
It was learned that the medical team had tried to give early treatment and respiratory assistance to the child when they reached the scene.
"Upon arriving at HTAA, the victim was pronounced dead. Physical examination revealed that there were injuries and bruises on the boy's limbs," Rosli told reporters on 9 July.
Rosli added that hospital authorities lodged a police report about the case after discovering the bruises, which indicated that the boy could have been a victim of abuse.
The police later revealed that the boy, a student at Sekolah Chung Ching Tanah Putih, died due to bleeding in the oesophagus
Bernama reported Pahang Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief ACP Othman Nayan as saying yesterday, 10 July, that ruptured blood vessels or ulceration of the oesophagus caused bleeding in the oesophagus, according to a post-mortem.
"This is possibly due to stress or blunt force trauma, besides there are a lot of old scars and new wounds on the head and all over the victim's body which is likely caused by abuse," Othman was quoted as saying.
He also reportedly confirmed what Rosli had revealed earlier about the injuries and bruises found on the boy's limbs, saying that there were many bruises on the ankle, back, waist, buttocks, the left elbow, below the right armpit and burns on the victim's private parts.
Acting on information by the hospital on the suspected abuse, the police have since arrested the victim's parents to facilitate investigations into the case
According to Othman, the victim's 30-year-old father, who worked part-time as a used car salesman and a Grab driver, and his mother have been remanded until 16 July.
A Berita Harian report published yesterday cited an unnamed source who claimed that the victim's mother, who worked as a babysitter in her house, had been arrested by authorities over the suspected abuse in 2016 before she was eventually released due to lack of evidence for prosecution.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death sentence if found guilty of murder.