A three-member bench led by Justice Hadhariah Ismail ordered Nur Izzati Adi’s jail term to begin on March 30, 2017.

That means Nur Izzati, 26, will no longer be imprisoned, taking into account a one-third remission given for good behaviour.

“The appellant is to be freed forthwith, and we order the prison warden to remove the handcuffs so that she can walk out free from this court,” said Hadhariah, who sat with Justices Azman Abdullah and Zaini Mazlan.

Outside the court, Nur Izzati was seen in tears as she was hugged by family members.

At the outset of today’s proceedings, Nur Izzati’s counsel, Amirul Ridzuan Hanif, informed the court that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had accepted representations seeking a reduction of the charge from murder to infanticide.

Deputy public prosecutor Mukhzany Fariz Mokhtar confirmed the matter.

Nur Izzati accepted the reduced charge and pleaded guilty.

On June 14, 2020, the High Court in Alor Setar sentenced her to death after she was found guilty of the murder of the newborn who was asphyxiated in a toilet bowl at the Kolej Pertanian Malaysia hostel in Bukit Kayu Hitam at about 5.20pm on March 30, 2017.

The reduced charge of infanticide carries a jail term of up to 20 years and gives the court the discretion to impose a fine.

In mitigation, Amirul pleaded for a lenient sentence for his client and proposed a nine-year jail term. The prosecution did not object.

Lawyer Nur Syafiah Athirah Ahmad Shafique Selvarajah also appeared for Nur Izzati.

Police had initially investigated the case for concealment of birth by secretly disposing of a dead body. However, the case was later investigated for murder after an initial post-mortem report showed that the baby was born alive.

Police had also arrested a chalet assistant from Pendang during the investigation. However, it is unclear if the person was prosecuted.