Dad charged with endangering kids after letting them stick heads out of moving car

An insurance agent was charged at the Ipoh Sessions Court today with three counts of endangering his children by allowing them to stick their heads out of the window of a moving car in Jalan Tambun in March.

T Vengadasalabathi, 37, pleaded not guilty to the charges, read separately before judge Ainun Shahrin Mohamad, of exposing his three children, aged four to eight, to danger in a moving car that could likely cause physical injuries.

The offence was committed at Jalan Tambun between 6.20pm and 6.45pm on March 22 and framed under Section 31 (1)(A) of the Child Act. It is punishable under Section 31 (1) of the same law, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000, a jail term of 20 years, or both upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Evangelin Simon Silvaraj asked the court to set bail at RM15,000 for each charge, adding that the accused should not be anywhere near the victims.

However, lawyer K Nahtan, representing the accused, asked for a lower bail of RM2,500 for each charge, saying that his client has three children, a wife, and his parents to care for.

He also said that there was no element of sexual abuse involved and therefore no need to separate his client from his children.

The court fixed bail at RM9,000 with one surety for all three charges and set July 1 for mention.

Vengadasalabathi was detained on March 24, after a video clip of the three children sticking their heads out of the window of a moving care in Jalan Tambun went viral on social media.