GURUN, June 2 — An unempoyed man was charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today with the murder of his two-year-old stepson in Yan last month.

The accused, Sofiyudin Abu Bakar, 28, nodded in understanding when the charge was read to him before Magistrate Nurulrasyidah Mohd Akit.

However, no plea was recorded.

According to the charge sheet, the man was alleged to have murdered the boy, Muhammad Aqil Hairi Mohd Azrul, at an unnumbered house at Batu 19 3/4 Jalan Yan-Guar Chempedak, Yan, between 7.30pm and 8pm on May 25.

He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

Meanwhile, at the same court, his wife Nurul Natasha Roslan, 23, who is the biological mother of the boy, was released on bail bond of RM10,000. The court set August 5 for remention.

The couple were arrested on May 27 to facilitate investigation into the death of the boy, believed to have been abused. — Bernama