Teen forced to sleep outside flat for days, parents arrested for neglect


JOHOR BARU: A 13-year-old boy has been rescued after allegedly being left to sleep in the corridor outside his parents' flat in Pasir Gudang here for four days.

Seri Alam OCPD Supt Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said the teen appeared to have been neglected as he was shut out of the flat since Sunday (July 7).

“The boy was rescued by a team of police on Wednesday (July 10) and no injuries were found on him.

“His parents, aged 54 and 56, were arrested in the area at around 11.30pm the same day.

“Initial investigations found that the father has two prior offences on his criminal record,” he said in a statement on Thursday (July 11), adding that both parents tested negative for drugs.

The boy’s parents have been placed under a five-day remand until Monday (July 15) for investigation under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for ill-treatment, neglect, abandonment, or exposure of the child to physical or emotional hurt.

The offence is punishable with a jail term of not more than 20 years, or a maximum fine of RM50,000, or both upon conviction.

Supt Mohd Sohaimi added that the case would also be investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which covers the sharing of content that is false, offensive, or threatening.

He said on Wednesday, photos of the teenage boy sleeping in the corridor were posted on the Taman Air Biru community Facebook page and widely shared by social media users.

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