Thursday, March 3, 2016

Couple spent 2 months in Malaysian jail after fleeing Australian probe

A couple under investigation by Australian child authorities fled to Malaysia two years ago and spent a "traumatising" two months in a Kuala Lumpur jail after they were arrested by Interpol in Penang, Australia's ABC news network reports. But a South Australian court was told that the investigation against them had relied on baseless allegations. During investigation, authorities had initially separated their young son from them for 42 days, under an Investigation and Assessment Order, fearing the boy was in danger from his father. His father, now 28, was being investigated over allegations involving his young daughter from a previous relationship, the report said. When the authorities planned to extend the order to separate their son from them by another year, the couple "panicked", their lawyer told the court. In Malaysian jail, the father shared a cell with about 60 other men, losing 36kg "while surviving on one small fish and a cup of rice a day", the report added. Meanwhile, the mother, now 25, was kept in "a small concrete space with about 20 other women". "They felt very helpless and frustrated," her lawyer told the court. "[It was] an act of desperation. It was not well-planned or well thought through." The couple have pleaded guilty to breaking the order to separate their son. – March 3, 2016.]]>

No comments:

Post a Comment