Police: Man slashed mother and baby due to depression

KOTA KINABALU – Police have revealed that a man who slashed a mother and her six-month-old baby on Tuesday was acting out due to depression after his son was arrested.

Sabah Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said police had identified the cause of the man’s action in the tragic incident in Kinabatangan.

"Preliminary investigation showed that the suspect has been suffering from depression for the past two years based on information gathered from the family members.

"It seems that the suspect did not receive attention from his family members and the situation led to him being depressed and eventually lost control and vent his emotion in rage," he told reporters at a press conference at the Sabah Police Contingent Headquarters, here, on Thursday.

Commenting further, he said that the suspect lived next door to the victims.

“The cause of the depression is believed to have derived from one of his children being arrested by the authorities on the same day (of the slashing incident) for not having identification document.

"The suspect is currently in hospital due to injuries when members of the public detained him in the incident," he said.

Sinar Harian on Wednesday reported that the baby girl succumbed to her injuries after being hacked by the man while her 35-year-old mother was severely slashed on the neck and left ear was almost cut off in the incident at Kampung Ubi Sungai Pauh, Kinabatangan here.

The man in his 60s was arrested by the police at a nearby oil palm plantation and police retrieved a machete which was likely used in the attack.

He was remanded for seven days under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries a mandatory death sentence on conviction.