Man accused of killing his baby carried into court after refusing to cooperate

A man believed to have killed his eight-month-old baby, whose body was found smeared with salt and kept in a sack in a house in Bachok yesterday, had to be carried into court by five policemen after he refused to enter the premises for his remand proceedings today.

The police vehicle carrying the 40-year-old man arrived at the court complex at 9.20am, but he refused to get out, even after several police officers spent 10 minutes trying to persuade him.

One of them then pulled him out of the vehicle and five others picked him up and carried him to the courtroom.

Magistrate Mohd Dinie Syazwan Ab Shukor issued a seven-day remand order against the man starting today to facilitate further investigation into the baby’s murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

The man was arrested yesterday after police found the body of the baby covered with salt and kept in a sack underneath the kitchen table of a house in Kampung Sungai Dua, Melawi.

Kelantan police chief DCP Shafien Mamat said the post-mortem revealed that the baby had suffered head injuries possibly the result of a blow or fall.

He said the post-mortem was done at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital and completed at about 4am today.

Based on the way the baby had died, he said police did not rule out the possibility that the father had been involved in deviant teachings.

He said the man was also said to have heard voices, and had been hallucinating before committing the offence.

“Until now, the man has not spoken a word for us to record his statement,” he told reporters.

The baby’s 32-year-old mother, who had bruises on her body and was traumatised by the incident, was also arrested but sent to the Bachok Health Centre for treatment.

Shafien said the couple tested negative for drugs.