Foreign couple charged with murder of five-year-old boy in Penang

An Indonesian woman and her Bangladeshi partner have been charged with the murder of a five-year-old boy in Penang, Malaysia. The accused, identified as Dina Hayati, 30, and her boyfriend Sany, 34, appeared before the Magistrate's Court in George Town, where the charge was read to them. No plea was recorded as the case falls under the High Court's jurisdiction.

The victim was reportedly the son of Dina Hayati from a previous marriage to a Rohingya man who passed away last year. The alleged murder occurred on July 23, 2026, in the living room of their apartment in Lintang Merak, Sungai Dua, Northeast District. The prosecution contends that both accused jointly caused the death of the child, who possessed a UNHCR card.

If found guilty under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, the couple faces the possibility of the death penalty or imprisonment ranging from 30 to 40 years, along with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. The prosecution is being handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Danial Amir Saad, while the accused are not represented by legal counsel. The court has set October 6 as the date for the next mention of the case. Previously, media reports indicated that the couple had been remanded for seven days to assist in the investigation into the child's death.

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The two of them jointly murdered and caused the death of a five-year-old boy who had a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card.