Girl showed clenched fist but denied stepfather punched her before she died, says mother at murder trial

• Nursabrina Agustiani Abdullah died at the age of four after her stepfather Muhammad Salihin Ismail allegedly assaulted her 
• Salihin is now on trial for murder and could face the death penalty
• Her mother testified that the girl said Salihin did not punch her, but she showed the older woman a clenched fist
• The girl soon fell unconscious and died shortly after

SINGAPORE — Seated at the witness stand in the murder trial of her husband who is accused of killing her four-year-daughter, Syabilla Syamien Riyadi testified that their twin sons often played rough with the girl, including sitting on her abdomen. The boys also sat on her own belly when she was pregnant with her fourth child.

Nursabrina Agustiani Abdullah, who was Syabilla’s child from a previous relationship, died from internal injuries after she was allegedly hit in her abdomen several times by her stepfather Muhammad Salihin Ismail.

Syabilla was testifying for the first time in the High Court on Wednesday (Feb 3), on the second day of the trial.

The 24-year-old mother has been in remand for three months. An Indonesian and Singapore permanent resident, she faces several drug-related and unlicensed moneylending charges.

She was first arrested in June last year and released on bail, but was nabbed again by Central Narcotics Bureau officers in October last year.

On Wednesday, she and her 28-year-old husband, who was in the dock, exchanged multiple glances before she began giving evidence. Both were clad in a purple prison jumpsuit.

She was quizzed on how her twin boys — whom she had with the accused — treated her daughter.

Syabilla said that they had sat on Nursabrina’s abdomen at least twice in the months leading up to her death. They had also sat on her own belly at least five times when she was pregnant.

On Sept 2 in 2018, the day that Nursabrina died, the girl told her mother in the morning at home that her stomach hurt and that the boys had sat on her abdomen again.

She then showed her mother her clenched fist, which suggested to Syabilla that she had been punched.

However, the girl said that Salihin had not punched her and Syabilla was afraid to ask him more questions because he would get defensive. The girl eventually fell unconscious. 

Salihin performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for about 20 minutes before the ambulance came. However, Nursabrina died in Ng Teng Fong General Hospital shortly after.

These details emerged as both the prosecution and Salihin’s lawyers questioned Syabilla on her version of events that led to her daughter’s death.

GIRL LOOKED ‘QUITE PALE’

Syabilla told the court that Nursabrina was a cheerful girl who liked to help with household chores and play with her brother. She was mischievous and liked to run around their home sometimes, the mother added.

Syabilla married Salihin in August 2016. He was released from the Singapore Armed Forces’ detention barracks a few months later.

Nursabrina called Salihin father in Malay while he called her “kakak” (older sister in Malay) on her request.

He was stricter on Nursabrina than the twin boys because she was older, Syabilla said.

The evening before the girl died, Salihin had sent his wife a phone text message that read: “Nonsense, lah, this Sabrina, I already said if she want, to tell. She just pee only.”

The court previously heard that Nursabrina had urinated on the floor outside the toilet, which upset Salihin. The couple then argued over text messages while Syabilla was on the way home.

Salihin is accused of hitting the girl in the abdomen several times that day, including forcefully kicking her stomach while she was on the floor, leading to extensive internal bleeding that caused her death the next day.

He had admitted to the assaults in his police statements and psychiatric interviews, including intentionally inflicting the blows that caused Nursabrina’s death.

The girl looked “quite pale” and was “perspiring a bit” when Syabilla returned home at 8.30pm. She opened the door and hugged her, saying: “Mama come home already.” 

During dinner time, the girl ate a few mouthfuls of chicken rice before saying that her stomach hurt and that she wanted to vomit.

Salihin and Syabilla applied ointment to her abdomen but she continued vomiting from 1am to 8am. 

‘I WAS AFRAID OF HIM’

At about 9am, Syabilla woke up when the girl called out to Salihin. When Syabilla asked her what had happened, she said that the twin boys had sat on her stomach.

The boys were about two years old at the time and weighed about 15kg each.

Nursabrina then clenched her fist, but said “no” when Syabilla asked if Salihin had punched her. 

Syabilla had no reason not to believe her because she had personally witnessed the boys sitting on the girl’s abdomen, Syabilla testified. “She did make complaints (the previous times) but then I ignored her,” she added.

At some point, Syabilla also asked her husband what had happened.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy then asked her: “He gave an account and you said (in your police statement) that you did not probe further. Why?”

She replied: “Because I was afraid of him. He will get defensive if I ask more questions.”

Salihin then took the girl to the toilet and stuck his index finger into her mouth to make her vomit as she had trouble doing so. She fell unconscious and he could not resuscitate her, so he carried her out of the toilet and asked Syabilla to call for an ambulance.

“He was pressing on her stomach over and over again. She didn’t respond, then he slapped her face to wake her up but she didn’t respond to it also,” Syabilla told the court.

Later, she clarified that she could not be sure if Salihin performed CPR by pressing on the girl’s stomach or chest.

Paramedics arrived 20 minutes later but she showed no signs of life.

‘BOUNCED’ ON GIRL’S TUMMY BEFORE

When questioned about Nursabrina’s relationship with her brothers, Syabilla said that they loved to play with each other. Either or both boys would sometimes climb on top of her or sit on her tummy.

“I’ve seen them sitting on Sabrina’s stomach and pushing their weight on her, like pouncing on her. It looks quite rough also,” Syabilla testified.

They had “bounced” on her abdomen sometime during the week before she died but stopped after Syabilla screamed at them. 

On another occasion, the younger boy had sat on Nursabrina’s abdomen and fallen asleep.

Salihin’s stepmother, who also testified on Wednesday, concurred that the boys were quite playful but she never saw them climb on top of each other.

The trial continues on Thursday, with the pathologist who performed an autopsy on Nursabrina testifying.

Salihin’s father is also scheduled to take the stand as a prosecution witness.

While Salihin faces two other charges of assaulting and ill-treating Nursabrina, those were stood down for the current trial.

If convicted of murder, he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment with caning.