LIPIS, Nov 28 — The Magistrate’s Court here today fined a cashier RM4,000, in default six months’ jail, after she pleaded guilty to concealing the birth by abandoning the foetus, in April.

Magistrate Shahrul Ehsan Hasim also advised Azratul Azwana Zainudin, 27, to learn from her mistake and not repeat it in the future.

"We often hear the media reporting incidents like these... you are lucky not to be charged with murder and get a more severe punishment,” he said.

The accused was charged with committing the offence at 10am on April 13 by leaving the foetus in the second trimester in a bedroom located above a supermarket here.

For the offence, she was charged under Section 318 of the Penal Code which provides for a maximum jail term of two years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

At the trial, lawyer Nor Ezdiani Mohd Amari of the National Legal Aid Foundation said the accused had no previous record of misconduct.

Prosecuting Officer Inspector B. Sathiyan prosecuted. — Bernama