Malaysian man jailed for killing toddler by accidentally stepping on her

A Malaysian man, 33, has been sentenced to a decade in jail for manslaughter after accidentally killing his girlfriend’s three-year-old daughter by stepping on the child’s chest as he entered the room in darkness to feed her.

Ahmad Ashraf, a technician who weighed 138kg (300lbs) at the time, was caring for the toddler on July 20, 2022, in his home in Kota Tinggi, as his girlfriend was ill and receiving hospital treatment.

According to local Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily, the child started to hyperventilate and Ashraf immediately turned the light on, attempting to give first aid before taking her to hospital, where she died from her injuries.

He surrendered himself to police later the same day.

At the sentencing on Thursday, a reportedly slimmer Ashraf confessed to manslaughter without intent to kill. The prosecution had pressed for a sentence of no fewer than 12 years behind bars.

The judge took into account leniency factors, including his cooperation in the investigation and the absence of any aggression.