The babysitter who was at the center of the shocking discovery of a baby under her care inside her freezer, after she had reported him missing, was charged today in court.
Selayang Sessions Court charged Noor Aqilah Rahman of abuse to five-month-old Adam Rayqal, after a post-mortem indicated that the infant suffered grievous injuries to his head and body while under her care. She is also being charged with the concealment of Adam’s body, so as to pervert the course of justice by leading investigators astray. She had told Adam’s mother that strangers had kidnapped her son.
Noor Aqilah had previously worked as a cook before offering child minding services. She now faces up to 20 years in prison for the charge abuse resulting in death, and an additional three years for concealing his corpse.
Her lawyers have asked for leniency in issuing her bail, saying that she still had parents to look after who were suffering from high blood pressure, gout, and heart issues. Neither work, and her lawyer added that other parents who had previously sent their children to be minded by Noor Aqilah has since found new babysitters.
Uh. Yeah, we hope that they have.
The defense told the court that their client was unmarried, and had stopped working as a cook to focus on babysitting children full-time.
Noor Aqilah had also adopted a handicapped daughter; however, the child is now in someone else’s care.
The prosecution did not propose bail, as the case had now become a nationwide story, with immeasurable press attention, and left it for the judge to decide on the matter.
Bail was set at RM18,000, with the suspect reporting twice a month to her local police station pending the case’s conclusion.
In a heartbreaking story, Adam’s parents had initially believed their babysitter’s account of a kidnapping, and posted emotional pleas to Facebook, along with the tiny baby’s photos, asking for information on his whereabouts. After police questioning, police began to question the woman’s account and began to search her home.
The discovered the infant in the freezer, having been wrapped in a bag. He died of a brain hemorrhage and skull fracture.
