A 24-YEAR-OLD woman pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court here today to a charge of transferring control of a baby boy in exchange for RM17,300 last month.
The accused, S. Kelsey entered the plea after the charge was read before Sessions Court judge Nabisha Ibrahim.
However, the court fixed Oct 5 for further mention and sentencing.
According to the charge, Kelsey allegedly committed the offence between 7.30am on Aug 18 and 1.30am on Aug 21 at a private hospital here.
She was charged under Section 48(1) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment for up to 20 years, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Muhammad Fitri Wan Azizan offered bail at RM30,000, with the accused’s passport to be surrendered to the court and an order for her not to contact prosecution witnesses.
Lawyer RSN Rayer, representing Kelsey, requested a lower bail amount, saying his client had no income and needed to support her family.
He also told the court that Kelsey remained weak after giving birth on Aug 18 and posed no flight risk.
Judge Nabisha subsequently allowed her to be released on RM10,000 bail with one surety, ordered her to surrender her passport and prohibited her from contacting prosecution witnesses.
In a separate proceeding at the Magistrate’s Court in Sungai Petani, Kelsey also pleaded guilty to possessing another woman’s identity card.
The offence was allegedly committed at the same hospital on Aug 21.
She was charged under Regulation 25(1)(e) of the National Registration Regulations 1990, which carries a maximum jail term of two years, a fine of up to RM3,000, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Hazwani Mohd Noor prosecuted the case, while Rayer also represented Kelsey.
Magistrate Muhammad Syaiful Akmal Mohd Razi allowed Kelsey to be released on RM1,500 bail with one surety and fixed Oct 5 for sentencing.
Last Wednesday, police arrested six locals, including a woman who had recently given birth, over suspected involvement in the trafficking of a baby boy in Kuala Muda.
Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said police received a report from a medical officer at a private maternity hospital in the district after staff discovered that a local patient had registered using another woman’s identity document when giving birth to a baby boy on the same day.
The investigation is ongoing. - September 1, 2026
