Saturday January 19, 2013

Woman gives birth while waiting for judgment on hubby

● Other News & Views is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.

WHILE waiting for the magistrate to deliver his judgment on her husband for a drug charge, a woman caused a stir when she went into labour and delivered a baby in the courtroom.

Harian Metro reported that Shahidawari Shabudin, 37, accompanying her husband Narizam Saad, 39, who was waiting for a court decision for consuming drugs, felt contractions and within minutes delivered her baby with help from the court staff and police officers.

Touched by the newborn's cries, Kangar magistrate Zuhair Rosli also decided to hasten his decision and free Narizam and place him under the supervision of the National Anti-Drug Agency for two years.

“The accused is also advised not to repeat his mistakes for the sake of his newborn son whose birth we have just witnessed,” said Zuhair in his judgment.

Court registrar Monica Joseph Ghaisah said that both husband and wife were overcome with emotion and cried after seeing the birth of their son.

“In fact, I suggested to them to name the son Mohd Arif Hakim and the parents seemed to agree,” she said.

Both mother and child are reported to be in a stable condition in hospital.

> An 11-year-old girl is still missing after it was believed that she ran away with her 17-year-old boyfriend whom she met online.

The police as well as Teratai Kamilia Mohd Hafiza's parents are still frantically looking for her after she ran off while having lunch with her grandparents at a Tesco hypermarket in Hulu Selangor on Saturday.

Kosmo! reported that her parents also claimed that Teratai had previously gone missing for one day with her boyfriend Muhamad Sharil Imran Mudrika but was convinced to return home.

Deputy Hulu Selangor district police chief Deputy Supt Zulkepli Bedin claimed that the girl was believed to be last seen loitering around Tampoi, Johor.