Mother gets 24 months' jail for disposing of son's remains under kitchen floor

A mother was sentenced to 24 months' jail by the Magistrate's Court in Selayang here on Thursday for disposing of the remains of her son by burying the body under the kitchen floor of her house last March.

Magistrate Asyida Abd Rahim @ Ibrahim passed down the sentence to Tan Boa Jia, 33, after she changed her plea to guilty. She had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The court also ordered the woman, who is a housewife, to serve the sentence from the date of her arrest on May 31.

Tan was charged with disposing of the remains of Shen Yong Loo Evan, nine, by burying the body under the kitchen floor, with the intention to protect her husband Chon Loo Wen, 33, from being charged with murder.

She committed the offence at No. 26, Jalan 10, Taman Usaha Jaya, Kepong, at 2 pm on March 29. The charge under Section 201 of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.

Her husband, however, was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries a mandatory death penalty if convicted.

Deputy public prosecutor Sharifah Zulia Balqish Syed Agil prosecuted, while Tan was represented by lawyer Vivian Thien.