Warning: This article contains descriptions of abuse. Reader discretion is advised. 

An 11-year-old girl died after she was struck in the head with an exercise bar by her abusive stepfather.

The fatal act of abuse happened on Nov. 6, 2020, reported CNA.

The man, Mohamad Fazli Selamat, 29, had gotten incensed by the girl eating rice too slowly and hit her head several times with an exercise bar.

Fatal head injuries

The bar was swung so hard that it bent.

The blows knocked the girl unconscious, but she was resuscitated by her stepfather.

Her head was swollen, and she was bleeding from one ear.

Despite her dire state, her 30-year-old biological mother, Roslinda Jamil, did not intervene.

Not knowing how to explain her injuries, the couple refrained from sending the girl to the hospital over the next few days.

Fazli hit the girl again but was stopped by Roslinda, who said it was "enough" and asked if he wanted to beat the girl to death.

But while massaging the girl's arm, Roslinda herself bit her daughter's arm thrice to stop her from crying.

The girl collapsed and died on Nov. 10, 2020.

CNA reported that her body bore signs of abuse, including skull fractures, bruises, fractured ribs, bite marks, and blunt force injuries on her head, face, chest, hips, and limbs.

She was 20kg.

History of abuse

This fatal incident was just one of the many instances of abuse suffered by the victim, who was abused various times in 2020.

Early that year, Fazli grew angry with the girl, believing she'd been stealing from their flat and eating too slowly.

As punishment, he made her get into a push-up position and beat her back repeatedly with a weightlifting bar.

Other instances saw him hitting her with a belt and making her hold a 1.5-litre water bottle at shoulder level while he caned her, according to The Straits Times.

CNA added that the man struck her with a wooden backscratcher when she made mistakes in her homework or slept instead of studying.

Roslinda wasn't just a bystander, either.

She forced her daughter to eat chilli padi and doused her with hot water, blistering her skin.

The couple kept the girl from going to school for a few months, fearing the tell-tale signs of their violence.

When school representatives checked in on the girl, the parents stopped them from entering the flat.

While the girl was on a video call with an officer from child protective services, she was also made to wear long-sleeved pyjamas and sit under dim lighting.

Abusers had troubled past themselves: Defence

The victim was born out of wedlock when Roslinda was 16.

The defence lawyer shared that Roslinda suffered physical and emotional abuse in her first marriage.

In her second marriage, Roslinda was entirely dependent on Fazli for finances, CNA reported.

Her lawyer stated that she'd been too occupied breastfeeding her infant and looking after her young sons and couldn't intervene while her husband was abusing her daughter.

Fazli's lawyer also sought to paint his client in a sympathetic light.

He stated that the man had no experience in marriage and parenting.

He was apparently "forced" to transition from a single man to a husband and parent immediately after marrying Roslinda.

His lawyer added that Fazli came from a troubled family himself and was abused by his own father, leaving him bereft of role models.

Couple sentenced to jail

Both parents pleaded guilty in February 2023.

Fazli was sentenced to 12 strokes of the cane, on top of 15 years and 11 months in jail, for culpable homicide and five other acts of abuse.

For abusing the girl herself and turning a blind eye to her husband's acts, Roslinda was sentenced to seven years, eight months and three weeks in jail.

Aside from the victim, the couple have a four-year-old son together and two other sons from Roslinda's first marriage.

The abusers fought for a gag order, citing the impact on their surviving children, said ST.

However, the court lifted the gag order, explaining that it'd only been imposed initially to protect the children should they need to testify in court.

That reason was now void, considering that the case had closed.

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Top image via Canva