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KOTA KINABALU: A 47-year-old undocumented Filipina was sentenced to nine years in jail and fined RM2,000 for allowing three children, including her daughter, to sell fruits on the streets for nearly 12 hours daily.

Awala Antualang, who used a Kad Burung-Burung as identification, pleaded guilty before three Sessions Court Judges on Wednesday to three charges under the Child Act 2001.

She received three years' jail for each charge, with Judge Elsie Primus sentencing her for allowing an 11-year-old boy to sell fruits in Sembulan, Judge Hurman Hussain for her 13-year-old daughter in Aeropod, and Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan for a 12-year-old boy in Harbour City, with an additional fine.

The court ordered Awala to serve her sentences from the date of arrest and referred her to the Immigration Department upon completion, despite her plea for leniency as a single mother of nine children.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dacia Jane Romanus urged for a deterrent sentence, stressing that the Child Act 2001 guarantees protection for all children regardless of background, while two additional charges against Awala will be heard on April 22.