SEREMBAN: The Coroner’s Court here has ruled that the death of a 15-month-old toddler at a nursery here more than two years ago was due to compression of the neck and attributed her death to negligence.
Coroner Datin Surita Budin said evidence and testimonies produced before the court found that Nour Rania Asyifaa Yuseri, better known as “Baby Syifaa” died after her neck got entangled in a cloth cradle after she was left by her babysitter to sleep in a room unsupervised for about two hours.
“The court finds that the victim’s death was caused after she tried to get out of the cloth cradle which was tight and uncomfortable as the babysitter had hooked up both ends to prevent her from falling out or escaping.
“While the victim tried to stand up, her neck got entangled in the cloth on one end of the cradle, causing her to struggle and eventually getting her neck compressed by the pressure of her own weight.
“Based on a balance of probabilities supported by evidence produced and testimonies by witnesses, the court also finds that overall, the deceased’s death was not an accident but was caused as she was left unsupervised for two hours and such an act is an offence under the law,” she said in her findings.
Surita said the width of the abrasion on the deceased’s neck was also consistent with the width of the cradle cloth.
Twenty-eight witnesses had testified since proceedings started in September 2022.
Nour Rania was found dead by her babysitter in her cloth cradle after she was put to sleep in a room at the centre which operated from a single-storey corner house, on Feb 22, 2022.
The babysitter told police she found the child’s head dangling over the side of the cradle when she went to check on her.
She reportedly tried to resuscitate the victim but was unsuccessful.
The toddler was rushed to the Sendayan health clinic but doctors failed to revive her.
A post-mortem revealed that her death was due to compression of the neck.
There were 15 children, including the deceased, aged between six months and seven years at the centre when the incident occurred.
Nour Rania’s father Yuseri Yussof later told reporters he was not happy with the initial findings and asked police to investigate the matter under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
The coroner said during proceedings, the babysitter had admitted that she had left the toddler and two other babies in a room unsupervised for two hours and this was an act of negligence.
The babysitter, she said, also admitted that she was aware that the use of cloth cradles in nurseries was not allowed as they were not safe, yet she still went on to use them.
The babysitter had failed to ensure the safety of the deceased by using a faulty cloth cradle, with its springs no longer in good condition and the cloth worn out as well as torn.
“Also, if it is true that she had no intention of using the cloth cradle, then it should have been discarded when they moved to the new premises,” Surita said.
She added that the postmortem also showed that the deceased did not suffer any internal injuries such as broken bones.
She also ruled out the possibility that the deceased had been abused physically or strangled as there was no forensic evidence to support this.
Also ruled out was the involvement of a third party who may have strangled the deceased.
