• IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here.

    The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.

Police deny allegations US engineer's death not properly investigated

StarshipTroopers

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Police deny allegations US engineer's death not properly investigated

By Kimberly Spykerman | Posted: 17 February 2013 1117 hrs

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said its procedures for investigating cases, in particular those involving deaths, are of high international standards.

It was responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia about the death of American electronics engineer Shane Todd.

According to a Financial Times report published on February 15, Mr Todd allegedly hanged himself in the toilet of his apartment in Chinatown last year.

His death came shortly before he was to return to the US after an 18-month stint with the Institute of Microelectronics, a research facility.

The report also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Mr Todd's death and the way police investigations were carried out.

In addition, the report contained interviews with Mr Todd's parents who said they believe he was murdered over his work in Singapore.

They also alleged that Mr Todd's death was not properly investigated.

The police denied this.

A SPF statement late Saturday night said that all unnatural death cases are investigated thoroughly and that police work closely with the pathologist and other relevant experts.

A spokesman noted that no prior assumptions are made on the cause of death.

He added that the police have handled this case in the same way as other cases that they have looked into.

The spokesman also noted that all crime scene locations which could contain evidence are protected from any interference with what is known as "trace evidence".

The sites are secured by police for the duration required for scene examination and evidence collection.

The conditions and items found at the crime scene are carefully recorded in great detail, as well as conserved and removed for subsequent laboratory analysis.

A coroner's inquiry into Mr Todd's death is expected to take place. Police say his family will be able to question witnesses and relevant reports that are submitted.

Police urge anyone with evidence that could assist in the investigation to share the information with them.

They have also engaged and assisted Mr Todd's family since his death, and will continue to do so.

They have also kept the American Embassy and FBI informed.

- CNA/ir


 

winnipegjets

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
The main issue is sinkapore's role in the unauthorized transfer of US technology to the Chinese.

The parents of the deceased American will get their answers if they involve their congressman and senator. A congressional hearing on sinkapore's role in unauthorized transfer of US technology to the Chinese is long overdue.
 

songsongpunggol

Alfrescian
Loyal
no wonder this thing looked so familiar. dumb Americans are the carrot heads!! :biggrin:

870577-chinese-stealth-fighter-jet.jpg


The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program external link is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. al.; the F-35B Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing for the US Marines, British Royal Navy, et. al.; and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy. The aircraft is named after Lockheed’s famous WW2 P-38 Lightning external link, and the Mach 2, stacked-engine English Electric (now BAE) external link Lightning external link jet. Lightning II system development partners included The USA & Britain (Tier 1), Italy and the Netherlands (Tier 2), and Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey (Tier 3), with Singapore and Israel as “Security Cooperation Partners,” and Japan as the 1st export customer.

f35-lightning_ii1.jpg
 
Last edited:

StarshipTroopers

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

S'pore police want hard drive of dead American engineer


February 17, 2013 - 1:16am

By: The New Paper

todd17.jpg


SUICIDE? A screengrab of the report by Financial Times on the death of electronics engineer Shane Todd, who was found dead in his Chinatown apartment last year, in what looked like a suicide.

The police have asked for an external hard drive recovered by the family of an American electronics engineer from the Singapore apartment where he was found dead last year.

Reacting to a report in the Financial Times, the police said last night that they would “investigate all unnatural death cases thoroughly, working closely with the pathologist and other relevant experts, and no prior assumptions are made on the cause of death”.

Mr Shane Todd's body was found hanging in his Chinatown apartment, in what looked like a suicide.

But his parents told the Financial Times that they doubted that he could have committed suicide and also made allegations about the Singapore Police's handling of the investigation.

Read the full report in The New Paper on Sunday (Feb 17).

 

StarshipTroopers

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

US, S'pore officials hold discussions on Shane Todd's death

Posted: 21 March 2013 1523 hrs

display_image.php


SINGAPORE: The US embassy in Singapore said law enforcement officials from the US and Singapore held productive and forthright discussions on the case of Dr Shane Todd, an American researcher who died in Singapore last June.

They met on Monday to follow up on the visit to Washington last week by Singapore's Foreign Minister K Shanmugam, as well as his conversations on the case with Secretary of State John Kerry, Attorney General Eric Holder and Senator Max Baucus.

The embassy said on Thursday that the cooperation and information sharing at Monday's meeting are consistent with the assurances provided in Washington and in accordance with the legal frameworks of both countries.

It said it will not comment on the details of the discussions or speculate on the outcome of the investigation, as the case is ongoing and is led by Singapore law enforcement authorities.

The Singapore Police Force has said it would ensure a thorough probe into the death of Dr Todd. He was found hanged in his apartment.

His parents believe he was murdered over work he had done while employed at Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics (IME), which is part of Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

- CNA/xq


 

StarshipTroopers

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Coroner's inquiry into Dr Shane Todd's death to begin on May 13


Published on Mar 26, 2013

display_image.php


This undated photo released by Rick Todd shows Dr Shane Todd while in Singapore. The coroner's inquiry into the death of American researcher Dr Shane Todd here has been set for May 13. -- FILE PHOTO: AP

By Bryna Singh

The coroner's inquiry into the death of American researcher Dr Shane Todd here has been set for May 13.

At this inquiry, the State Coroner will review the evidence and independently determine the cause of and circumstances connected with Dr Todd's death. During the inquiry, the Todd family may pose relevant questions about the investigation findings, forensic and medical reports.

Dr Todd, 31, was found hanged in his Singapore apartment in an apparent suicide last June, shortly after he quit the Singapore Institute of Microelectronics (IME). His parents however believe he was murdered over work he had done while employed at the IME, which is part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

This work allegedly involved a project between IME and Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies, which has been suspected of espionage by the US, but both parties have said they did not go beyond preliminary talks on a commercial project.


 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

Shane Todd's family to attend inquiry, hires lawyer

The family of late US engineer Shane Todd has engaged a lawyer in Singapore to represent them and will attend next month’s inquiry into his death.

shane-todd-532198.jpg


This undated photo released by Rick Todd shows Shane Todd in Singapore. (AP Photo/Courtesy Rick Todd)

SINGAPORE: The family of late US engineer Shane Todd will attend next month’s inquiry into his death, and has engaged a lawyer in Singapore to represent them.

Lawyer Gloria James-Civetta, who manages law firm Gloria James-Civetta & Co, said she received an email on April 1 from Todd’s father, Mr Rick Todd, requesting for her assistance. She has offered to act for the family on a pro-bono basis even though they were willing to pay her. “The family has had a very tough (time),” she said.

Ms James-Civetta said the family has indicated that they will be present during the inquiry. Nevertheless, she has asked them to come to Singapore a week before the inquiry starts on May 13 to go through some documents.

Todd was found hanged in his apartment last June in an apparent suicide. His family, however, believe that the 31-year-old was murdered over research he had done — possibly involving technology transfers to China — while working for the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) here.

Todd’s death had made the news in international media and his family had sought the help of US senators, who subsequently tried to block US funding to IME.

-TODAY/jc

 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

Parents of US scientist in Singapore for coroner's inquest

20130219.165437_face.jpg


AFP
Monday, May 06, 2013

SINGAPORE - The parents of an American scientist found hanged last year in Singapore arrived in the city-state Monday ahead of a coroner's inquiry into his death at which they will testify.

Rick and Mary Todd have said they believe their son Shane was murdered because of his work for a Singapore institute with alleged links to a Chinese firm seen by the US as a security threat.

Mary Todd, 57, a church pastor, said they arrived a week before the start of the coroner's inquiry on May 13 to meet their lawyers, who have offered their services for free.

"We believe our son was murdered," she said, speaking to AFP on arrival at Changi Airport.

"Rick and I will be testifying. We're not sure about the rest at this point in time, but I know that my husband and myself will be (testifying)."

Lead lawyer Gloria James-Civetta, who met the Todds at the airport, said 63 witnesses are on the list although not all may be called to testify during the inquiry to determine the cause of death.

Shane Todd, an electronics engineer, was ending a stint as a researcher for the state-linked Institute of Microelectronics (IME) in Singapore and was preparing to return to the US when he was found dead in his apartment in June last year. He was 31.

His parents dispute a Singaporean autopsy report that he committed suicide. The Singapore police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation have been sharing information on the case.

Shane Todd was working on a project involving China's Huawei Technologies, although the IME and Huawei have said that talks on a joint collaboration did not progress beyond preliminary stages.

The IME has also said that it and Shane Todd were never involved in any secret research project and it has welcomed a US audit of its internal processes.

When asked about the fondest memory of her son, Mary Todd paused for a moment before saying: "It was all wonderful. He was a wonderful son. He was very bright, very funny, and loved by a lot."

She and her 58-year-old husband, an airline pilot, were met at the airport by their lawyer, some friends and a US embassy official.

Their three sons, one daughter-in-law, Mary's brother and Rick's sister will be flying down later this week to attend the inquest, Mary Todd said.

The coroner's inquiry or inquest is a legal process to determine the cause of death. Todd's family had been invited to attend and ask questions.

 

StarshipTroopers

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Coroner's Inquiry into American engineer's death to begin May 13

POSTED: 08 May 2013 10:30 PM

Dr Shane Todd, 31, was found hanged in his Chinatown apartment last June in an apparent suicide. His parents arrived in Singapore on Monday to prepare for the inquiry.

shane-todd-532198.jpg


This undated photo released by Rick Todd shows Shane Todd in Singapore. (AP Photo/Courtesy Rick Todd)

SINGAPORE: A Coroner's Inquiry into the death of an American engineer will begin at the Subordinate Courts on Monday.

Dr Shane Todd, 31, was found hanged in his Chinatown apartment last June in an apparent suicide.

His parents arrived in Singapore on Monday to prepare for the inquiry - which is slated to run till the end of the month.

For Mary Todd and her husband Rick, many questions remain unanswered about their son's death.

"Well, first of all, we want to recognise how Shane died, the police have never gotten off the idea of suicide," said Rick Todd.

"We have been coping well under the circumstances but it's the most incredulous, most horrendous situation any parent could go through," said Mary Todd.

Dr Todd's parents believe he was murdered over research he had done while working for Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics.

The Todd family have also raised doubts about the way investigations were carried out.

At the Coroner's Inquiry, the Todd family can question investigation findings, as well as forensic and medical reports.

After that, the State Coroner will review the evidence and independently determine the cause of Dr Todd's death.

Some 50 witnesses are expected to take the stand, and the family will be represented by a team of five lawyers led by Gloria James-Civetta.

When contacted, the Police reiterated their previous statements on the matter, that they are committed to ensuring investigations into Dr Todd's death are thorough... and that all evidence relevant to the case is made available at the inquiry.

The Attorney-General's Chambers told MediaCorp that a Coroner's Inquiry is a fact-finding process, solely dedicated to determining the cause of and circumstances surrounding a death.

"The Attorney-General's Chambers expressed our condolences to the family of Dr Todd for their loss. The Coroner's Inquiry is a fact-finding process, solely dedicated to determining the cause of and circumstances surrounding Dr Todd's death. During the inquiry, which will be public and open, Dr Todd's family will have the opportunity to raise concerns relating to the case. AGC is currently working with the legal counsel appointed by Dr Todd's family to ensure that all evidence relating to the case is presented to the Coroner in order for him to make a proper determination."

Dr Todd's parents have made the long trip to Singapore three times in less than a year. The first - to collect their son's body, the second - to meet with officials, and now on this third trip, they hope to get the answers that they've been looking for.

- CNA/de

 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

Shane Todd's laptop showed access to suicide, depression-related websites

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 13 May 2013 9:58 PM

parents-of-late-american-shane-todd-arrive-at-the-subordinate-courts.jpg


Parents of late American Shane Todd arrive at the Subordinate Courts in Singapore. Todd was found hanged in his apartment last June in an apparent suicide. However, his family believe that the 31-year-old was murdered over research he did involving technology transfers with China. (AP/Wong Maye-E)

SINGAPORE: Internet history on American researcher Shane Todd's laptop showed that he had run searches on suicide and depression-related websites in the days before he died. This was revealed on the first day of a coroner's inquiry into his death.

Dr Todd's body was found hanging from a black strap in front of a closed toilet door in his bedroom. According to the police, the strap had a plastic buckle attached to it which acted as a stopper -- securing it against the top end of the toilet door.

Internet history on his laptop revealed that he had accessed suicide-related websites 19 times between March and June 2012. The last one was accessed only the day before his body was found hanged in his apartment.

According to patterns of Internet activity, Dr Todd had searched different methods of committing suicide. Depression-related webpages were also accessed -- mostly in May 2012.

Senior State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong gave these details in an opening statement to the court.

Dr Todd's parents, who have flown here for the inquiry, believe their son was murdered over research he had done while working for the Singapore Institute of Microelectronics.

However, there were notes, believed to be written by Dr Todd, found on his laptop. The notes were found after the investigation officer accessed his laptop using a password written on a post-it pad.

They were for his family, girlfriend, and friends. He said he loved them and asked their forgiveness for the pain he caused them.

Dr Todd's girlfriend and friends took the stand on Monday to describe his state of mind in the months before he died. Calling him a perfectionist, they said he was unhappy and stressed about his work. They also said he had lost weight and a twitching in his hands had become more pronounced in the months leading up to his death.

Dr Todd's girlfriend Shirley Sarmiento said he told her he had suffered from depression since October 2011. He also told her he was unhappy after transferring to another department, and working on a project that he felt could get him into trouble with the American government.

The court heard earlier that Dr Todd had seen a psychiatrist while in Singapore and been prescribed anti-depressant pills.

Officers and paramedics who were first at the scene said there were no signs of forced entry or foul play when they entered Dr Todd's apartment.

However, the counsel for the Todd family questioned if it was right for them to cut the rope holding up Dr Todd's body before the forensics team arrived, saying that that could have changed material evidence at the scene.

The court however heard that it was standard procedure to bring down a body found hanging as the priority was to "save lives". The first-responders also said they remembered seeing Dr Todd's feet on the floor when they entered the room, but could not be sure if his legs were bearing his weight.

The Todd family also said they appreciated the help they had received for the inquiry.

Rick Todd, the father of Dr Todd, said: "We really appreciate the process going on here. It's a slow process so we really appreciate the way Singapore conducts its court system."

Earlier, he and his wife thanked the Singapore government for allowing them to be part of the inquest.

The inquiry continues.

- CNA/ac

 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

American researcher visited suicide-related websites

Published on May 13, 2013

27950566e.jpg
27900989e.jpg


Parents of US engineer Shane Todd, Rick and Mary Todd, leave the court during lunch break. American engineer Shane Todd had visited suicide-related websites on 19 occasions in the four months leading up to his death, said State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong in his opening statement during the first day of the Coroner's Inquiry into his death on Monday. -- ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

By Lim Yan Liang And Feng Zengkun

American engineer Shane Todd had searched for suicide-related websites 19 times in the four months leading up to his death, said Senior State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong in his opening statement during the first day of the Coroner's Inquiry into his death on Monday.

After the 31-year-old was found hanged in his apartment near Chinatown on 24 June last year, 19 pills containing Citalopram, an anti-depressant, were also found in his home, a conserved shophouse, said Mr Tai.

Dr Todd was found dead shortly after he quit the Singapore Institute of Microelectronics, which he had joined in 2010. It was his first job after graduating with a doctorate from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Four witness who took the stand on Monday morning, including his girlfriend Shirley Sarmiento, neighbour Michael Goodwin, and friends Ali Miserez and Bart Richard Lendrum, said that he had been stressed over his work, especially after he had transferred to a new research group in March 2011.

He had confided in his girlfriend that he was unhappy partly because his colleagues were mostly Chinese who spoke to each other in Mandarin, which he did not understand.

Ms Sarmiento added that Dr Todd had said he was working in a "dishonest environment" and that his boss had "stolen his team's idea". Mr Lendrum said Dr Todd had complained that his co-workers were not as hardworking as him and did not meet his standards, while Mr Goodwin said Dr Todd had once confessed to dropping a $10,000 piece of equipment in front of his colleagues and was embarrassed by it.

Ms Sarmiento added that Dr Todd had told her on one occasion that there were "heavy hands" coming after him, and that he was doing work which could get him into trouble with the United States government.

The inquiry will resume after lunch, with police officers expected to take the stand.

 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

US researcher's death in S'pore: Filipino girlfriend's emotional roller coaster


May 14, 2013 - 1:33am

By: Rennie Whang

27952935%20-%2013_05_2013%20-%20rwtodd14.jpg


TNP PHOTO: Choo Chwee Hua

They met on an online dating site in December 2010 and started seeing each other less than a month later.

Ms Shirley Sarmiento (above), 27, a Filipino staff nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Dr Shane Todd, 31, a US researcher working with the Institute of Microelectronics, met mostly on weekends and were close.

But when Ms Sarmiento did not hear from Dr Todd on June 22 and 23 last year, she tried to contact him to ask if he was all right.

Worried and tired of waiting for him to reply, she took a taxi to his home -- and found his body with a black cord hung above his head, around his neck.

Ms Sarmiento related the events -- and the signs and circumstances surrounding his mental state and depression -- on the first day of the coroner's inquiry into the death of Dr Todd, whose parents have questioned police investigations into his death and claimed that he had been murdered over his work.

Read the full report in The New Paper on Tuesday (May 14).

 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

Day Two of coroner's inquiry into Shane Todd's death

By Kimberly Spykerman and Imelda Saad
POSTED: 14 May 2013 4:48 PM

shane-todd-532198.jpg


This undated photo released by Rick Todd shows Shane Todd in Singapore. (AP Photo/Courtesy Rick Todd)

SINGAPORE: Day Two of the coroner's inquiry into the death of American researcher Shane Todd saw lawyers for the Todd family offering various hypotheses in an attempt to show that Dr Todd did not take his own life.

This led to a robust exchange with Senior State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong who asked if their line of questioning are statements of fact or mere allegations.

This prompted counsel for the Todd family, Amarjit Singh Sidhu, to say that he is "not making any wild suggestions".

The Todd family's lawyers raised several possibilities on Tuesday morning.

Among them - was it be possible that Dr Todd died elsewhere and his body moved to his apartment since no blood stains were found? Was it possible that furniture in Dr Todd's apartment was moved back to its original position to give an impression that there was no struggle?

An attempt to show a police news release in court was disallowed by District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt.

Dr Todd's body had been brought down by first responders to the scene, before the forensics team arrived.

His family's lawyers asked if this could have altered material evidence at the scene.

Officers who were questioned reiterated that it is protocol to bring down a body in a hanging case as the priority is to save a life.

The court heard again that Dr Todd's apartment was not ransacked, there was no sign of a struggle, no signs of forced entry and no blood stains were found.

At one point, the Todd family's lawyers tried to show that a different version of how Dr Todd had died was told to his family.

The lawyers alleged that investigating officer Khaldun Sharif had told Dr Todd's parents that police found holes drilled in the wall in Dr Todd's bedroom and there were ropes with pulleys attached to the toilet door.

Officer Khaldun has not taken the stand.

In the afternoon session, lawyers for the Todd family threw up another possibility - that the suicide notes left behind were not written by Dr Todd.

They pointed to a sentence in which Dr Todd spoke about "fishing and snorkeling in the Keys", an area in South Florida.

The lawyers argued that Dr Todd could not have written the line as the word "Keys" was misspelled.

Mr Sidhu said Dr Todd grew up in the area and would not have gotten the spelling of "Keys" wrong.

The correct spelling is "Keyes".

A handwriting expert from the Health Sciences Authority told the court later that the handwriting on Post-It notes found in Dr Todd's bedroom matched his writings in his notebook.

One of the post-its had a password written on it.

When officers used the password to access Dr Todd's computer, they found the suicide notes.

Also revealed in court - DNA imprints of four other unknown persons were found on the towel and strap which were wrapped around Dr Todd's neck.

The strap was cut by police officers at the scene when they brought down Dr Todd's body.

On Monday, the court heard that Dr Todd was found hanged with a black cord from the bathroom door in his bedroom.

Police officers found suicide notes left behind addressed to his friends and family.

It was also revealed that Dr Todd had sought treatment for depression and accessed suicide and depression-related websites before his death.

The 31-year-old was found hanged in his Singapore apartment in June last year in an apparent suicide.

His parents, though, believe he was murdered over the work he did, possibly involving technology transfers to China while working for the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) in Singapore.

- CNA/ir


 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

Investigator accessed Shane Todd's hard drive: computer forensics expert

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 14 May 2013 11:00 PM

family-and-friends-of-the-late-shane-todd-leave-singapore-s-subordinate-courts-during-a-break-on-may-14-2013--2.jpg


Family and friends of the late Shane Todd leave a Singapore court during a break in an inquiry into his death. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)Parents of the late American Shane Todd, Mary (R) and Rick Todd (L), arrive at Singapore's Subordinate Courts on Monday, May 13, 2013. (AP/Wong Maye-E)This undated photo released by Rick Todd shows Shane Todd in Singapore. (AP Photo/Courtesy Rick Todd)

SINGAPORE: An investigating officer from the Singapore Police Force was the one who accessed a hard disk drive belonging to American researcher Shane Todd after he was found hanged in his apartment.

Details of this were given by a computer forensics expert on the second day of a coroner's inquiry into Dr Todd's death.

The 31-year-old was found hanged in his Singapore apartment in June last year in an apparent suicide.

The hard disk drive has been central to claims by Dr Todd's parents that their son did not take his own life.

The parents believe Dr Todd was murdered over his work for Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics.

A hard disk drive containing work files that were accessed three days after his body was found has been central to this claim.

The coroner's court heard that the files were accessed by the investigating officer in Singapore before he returned it to Dr Todd's parents.

The officer had done so to check for any suspicious information but had returned it when he found none.

Computer forensics expert Kristen Soong, who examined the disk drive, said it was last connected to the officer's computer.

She testified that when the officer opened one particular file, a temporary file was created.

This was deleted when he closed the original file.

Her findings are supported by a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which also examined the hard drive.

In court on Tuesday, lawyers for the Todd family also put forward several hypotheses that attempted to show the 31-year-old didn't take his own life.

Police officers had said they saw no signs of forced entry into the apartment, ransacking or foul play.

But the Todd family lawyers asked if it was possible Dr Todd died elsewhere and his body was moved back to his apartment, since no blood stains were found; whether the furniture in the apartment could have been moved back to its original position to give an impression that there was no struggle; and whether the suicide notes allegedly left by him could have been written by someone else. This was because the spelling of the word "Keyes" in reference to a place in Florida was spelt incorrectly in the note.

The raising of these possibilities led to a robust exchange between lawyers for the State and the Todd family. Three times, the State's lawyers asked if these possibilities were allegations or statements of fact.

The State's lawyers also asked if the evidence laid out in court was being challenged, but the Todd family's lawyers said they were not taking a position on the matter and were only enquiring about possibilities.

A handwriting expert and DNA analyst from the Health Sciences Authority also took the stand on Tuesday.

It was revealed that the handwriting on Post-It notes found in Dr Todd's bedroom matched his writings in his notebook.

One of the Post-It notes had a password written on it. When officers used the password to access Dr Todd's computer, they found the suicide notes.

It was also revealed that four unknown DNA imprints were found on the towel and strap which were wrapped around Dr Todd's neck.

- CNA/ir


 

Brian

Alfrescian
Loyal

Police say no sign of struggle at US scientist's apartment

20130514.210902_shanetodd_adfp.jpg


AFP
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

SINGAPORE - Singapore police officers who inspected the apartment where a US high-tech researcher was found hanged last year told an inquiry on Tuesday that they saw no signs of a struggle.

The bedroom where police found the body of Shane Todd - whose parents believe he was murdered - was neater than the rest of the apartment, Sergeant Rajina Sharma Rajandran said on the second day of a coroner's inquest.

"It appeared that there were no signs that indicated that a struggle had taken place," the investigator said. "There were no trails of blood found on the floor of the apartment. The furniture in the bedroom was in place."

Todd's parents reject Singapore autopsy findings that he committed suicide. They believe he was killed because of his work for a Singapore research institute with alleged links to a Chinese telecom giant suspected of espionage.

Singapore's state-linked Institute of Microelectronics and China's Huawei Technologies have both denied working together on a project involving Todd on a semiconductor with potential military applications.

The family has not blamed anyone in particular for Todd's death. But it maintains that the 31-year-old could not have killed himself and was looking forward to returning home before his body was found on June 24, 2012.

A lawyer for the family questioned police Tuesday about the way Todd's body was handled after being found suspended from an improvised noose from the top of a locked toilet door.

The body had been brought down to the bedroom floor by other police officers before the investigators arrived.

Senior Investigation Officer Rayme Darman Koh said discolouration on the lower forearms and legs indicated Todd had been hanging for "around six hours on the door".

 

StarshipTroopers

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Court hears how Todd was found hanged with feet on floor

By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 15 May 2013 5:15 PM
UPDATED: 15 May 2013 6:09 PM

shane-todd-532198.jpg


This undated photo shows Shane Todd in Singapore. (AP Photo/Courtesy Rick Todd)

SINGAPORE: The coroner's court was given an explanation on how American researcher Shane Todd was found hanged with his feet on the floor.

This came on the third day of the coroner's inquiry into Dr Todd's death.

Ms Lim Chin Chin of the Health Sciences Authority's Forensic Science Division gave an account of the simulation experiments that were conducted based on evidence at the death scene.

One of the simulations involved testing the stretching and relaxing of a strap when subjected to a load similar in weight to Dr Todd's body.

The strap was a replica of the one from which Dr Todd was hanged.

Ms Lim revealed that for someone of Dr Todd's height - which is 183cm - there would still be a gap of between 6.5 cm and 11.2cm if the strap did not stretch.

But when subjected to a weight of 89kg - which is Dr Todd's weight - the strap would stretch sufficiently for Dr Todd's feet to have touched the floor.

Ms Lim also detailed other simulation experiments that were conducted such as whether Dr Todd could have been hanged without any assistance.

Earlier, on Wednesday morning, a computer forensics expert testified that the integrity of a laptop belonging to Dr Todd was not compromised.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Kristen Soong, who is from the Technology Crime Division, said that analysis had been done on Dr Todd's laptop to check that no viruses or malicious software had been installed.

Her report was produced by the State's lawyers after lawyers for the Todd family asked if it was possible for someone to access a laptop from a remote location and upload documents on it.

"Suicide notes" - allegedly written by Dr Todd - were found on his laptop when police officers accessed it.

The Todd family's lawyers had asked police officers on Tuesday if it was possible the suicide notes were written by someone else.

ASP Soong said checks had been done for viruses, and on the operating system and user account.

She noted that there were no traces of failed log-ins, and that if the laptop had been accessed from a remote location, traces of malicious software would have been detected.

"The laptop wasn't compromised in any way through hacking or remote access. If so, there would have been traces," she told the court.

Mr Peter Ong, one of the lawyers acting for the Todd family, produced a log from StarHub which appeared to reflect outgoing data activity from his mobile phone between 25 and 29 June 2012 - after Dr Todd died.

The State's lawyers then said they would call a StarHub witness to the stand to explain the details on the log.

They said that questions on why there was activity on Dr Todd's phone after he died should be directed to the investigating officer when he takes the stand.


- CNA/ir

 

StarshipTroopers

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Shane Todd death 'consistent with simulation results': Health Science Authority expert

Published on May 15, 2013

Shanee.jpg


(Left to right) Corynne (Chet's wife), Chet (Shane Todd's brother), Shane's parents, Mary and Rick Todd outside the courts after taking a lunch break on May 14, 2013. Forensic evidence presented in court on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, painted a compelling picture that American researcher Shane Todd could have hung himself. -- ST FILE PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

By Lim Yan Liang & Feng Zengkun
Forensic evidence presented in court on Wednesday, painted a compelling picture that American researcher Shane Todd could have hung himself.

An expert from the Health Science Authority (HSA) told the inquiry into Dr Todd's death that the hypothesis was 'consistent with simulation results'.

Laboratory director of the authority's forensic science division, Ms Lim Chin-Chin gave a two-hour presentation, which include tests the HSA did on various ways Dr Todd could have affixed the makeshift noose to the toilet door in his master bedroom without any assistance, and that the only way involved using a chair.

Rigorous testing was also done on the moving of the chair and the nature of the scuff marks that were left on the door and frame, while replica straps were tested that proved that stretching over time was consistent with why Dr Todd was found with his feet flat on the ground.

The HSA also superimposed photos of the parquet floor after testing with the crime scene and found scuff marks that were consistent with Dr Todd's apartment.

Dr Todd was found hanged in his apartment near Chinatown on June 24 last year. His parents believe he was murdered over his work for the Singapore Institute of Microelectronics, which they allege had links to a Chinese firm seen by the United States as a security threat.

The graphic presentation was too much to take for Mrs Mary Todd, who asked her counsel for an early adjournment as she felt nauseous.

The inquiry continues on Thursday.

 
Top