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A 15-YEAR-OLD girl pleaded guilty in the Magistrate's Court in Tawau on Monday to abandoning her newborn baby in a bush in Kampung Jawa Sentosa last month.
The teenager, who is no longer attending school, admitted to the charge after it was read before Magistrate Dayang Aidaku Amira Aminuddin.
She was accused of abandoning the baby girl she had just given birth to with the intention of disposing of the infant at a bushy area in Kampung Jawa Sentosa, Jalan Guru, at about 4.30am on July 21.
The charge was framed under Section 317 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
The court fixed Sept 7 for further mention of the case pending the completion of the accused's medical and chemical reports before sentencing.
The prosecution was conducted by Prosecuting Officer Assistant Superintendent Nur Intan Jamrin.
The unrepresented teenager appealed for leniency.
According to the facts of the case, police received a report from members of the public at about 7am on July 21 after a newborn baby girl was found beside a house near the SMK Tawau Guru Flats in Kampung Jawa.
Acting on the information, officers from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Tawau District Police Headquarters arrested the teenager at a house in Kampung Jawa Sentosa at approximately 11.10am on the same day.
The case will resume on Sept 7 after the court receives the outstanding reports. - August 3, 2026
