Man charged in court over alleged brutal assault on pregnant wife leading to miscarriage

A 43-YEAR-OLD man was brought before the Sessions Court in Sungai Petani today and charged with causing grievous hurt to his wife by allegedly assaulting her with various objects in two separate incidents, including one that reportedly resulted in the loss of her pregnancy.

The accused, Rosmaini Abdul Raof, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out before Judge Najwa Che Mat through a court interpreter. He requested a full trial.

According to the charge sheet, the accused is alleged to have intentionally caused grievous injuries to his wife, Nurfitri Moktar, 39, by striking her with a plastic chair and a rubber hose at a house in Bandar Amanjaya at about 5pm on March 29.

He is also accused of committing a similar offence against the same victim using a clothes hanger and an iron hanger at the same location at about 9am on April 23.

The charge was framed under Section 326 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, and also allows for fines and whipping upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Khairul Anuar Abdul Halim led the prosecution, while the accused was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation counsel Ruzanna Abdul Rahim.

The court was informed that although the offence is bailable in principle, bail could not be granted as the accused is currently serving a prison sentence at Kajang Prison.

In mitigation, defence counsel appealed for bail to be considered, citing that the accused has two wives and is the sole provider for 11 children, seven of whom are still in school.

However, the court ruled that bail could not be granted due to his current status as an inmate, and fixed June 16 for mention for document submission purposes.

The case has drawn widespread attention following reports that the victim, a 39-year-old civil servant, sustained injuries to multiple parts of her body during the alleged assaults and subsequently suffered a miscarriage when she was about 12 weeks pregnant.

Police had earlier confirmed the suspect fled after the incident but was later arrested in the Alor Setar area.

Authorities also said the accused was previously convicted in 2021 in Johor Bahru for a separate domestic violence case involving the same victim. - May 7, 2026