SINGAPORE: The father of Benjamin Lim, a school boy found dead after he was questioned by police, has disputed an investigation report which stated that his son touched an 11-year-old girl in a lift.
CCTV footage from the incident on Jan 25 was played on Tuesday (May 17) and viewed by Benjamin’s family. Counsel for the boy's family, Mr Choo Zheng Xi, said Benjamin's father is of the view that there was "no bodily contact" between Benjamin and the 11-year-old, just a "brush at the area of the girl's skirt" as the boy bent down to pick up his mobile phone.
The Coroner's Court heard in the morning that the girl felt a "soft tap" on her left buttock and when she glanced down, saw the person's right hand moving away from her. State Counsel Wong Woon Kwong told the court the girl had immediately called her father, crying, to tell him what had happened.
State Coroner Marvin Bay noted Mr Lim’s quarrel with the report and CCTV footage, and also acknowledged Mr Wong's point that the Investigation Officer for the case, Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Mohamed Razif, stands by his description of events that took place in the lift between Benjamin and the 11-year-old girl.
ASP Razif was the first witness to testify at the two-day inquiry into Benjamin's death.
The 14-year-old fell to his death from his Yishun flat on Jan 26, shortly after he was questioned by police over the molestation allegation. The cause of and circumstances surrounding his death are the subject of the Coroner's Inquiry, which began on Tuesday.
The teen’s mother also disputed the allegations against her son. According to the investigation report, Benjamin’s mother did not believe her son had done anything, and thought Benjamin had been “set up”. After she had picked Benjamin up from the police station, Mrs Lim asked him to be honest with her on whether he had molested the girl. The teen said he had not. Mrs Lim then told her son he should not have admitted to the allegations if they were not true, the report stated.
During the proceedings on Tuesday morning, two new pieces of information regarding Benjamin's state of mind in the hours before his death, and a previous diagnosis of a childhood emotional disorder were revealed. On the day he died, he did not show any signs of distress when he was questioned by the police, except when he spoke to his mother on the phone while at school, the court heard.
SCHOOL TOOK GREAT CARE TO ENSURE BENJAMIN WAS SENSITIVELY TREATED: PRINCIPAL
The second witness to testify was Benjamin's school principal, Chen Fook Pang. According to Mr Chen, the school took great care to ensure the teen was sensitively treated.
For example, Mr Chen said he asked the police to allow him to speak privately to Benjamin before they questioned him, and for only one out of the five officers present to question him. The officers agreed to Mr Chen’s requests, and only one officer interviewed Benjamin both at the school and at the police station.
In response to questions from Mr Choo, Mr Chen told the court that it was his opinion that the number of officers that showed up at the school was "too big". “If you want to speak to my boy, one is enough”, Mr Chen had said. He added that prior to their arrival, he had not known that five officers would turn up.
Mr Chen also testified that he felt he had "pushed his luck" in requesting that he be allowed to sit in when police questioned the boy in the principal's office.
The police agreed to this, said Mr Chen. He also clarified that he used the term "pushed his luck" as there have been previous instances in which police did not allow staff to be present when students were being interviewed.
BENJAMIN’S MOTHER AGREED IT WAS BEST FOR HIM TO STAY HOME: COUNSELOR
Also present in the principal’s office as Benjamin was being questioned was school counselor Mdm Karry Lung. She testified that Benjamin seemed “slightly stressed” but was “coping well” until he called his mother to let her know what had happened. She testified that Mrs Lim “spoke very loudly over the phone” and the boy became visibly stressed.
Mdm Lung told the court she “sensed that the conversation between Benjamin and his mother was not doing Benjamin any good”, and signaled for him to end the call.
Mdm Lung said she spoke to Mrs Lim later that day, after the latter had brought her son home from the police station. The counselor said school administrators had discussed the issue and decided to suggest to Mrs Lim that Benjamin not attend the school camp, which was to be held over the next few days. Mdm Lung said Mrs Lim had readily agreed to this suggestion.
Mr Wong told the court Mrs Lim disputes this, saying the decision for Benjamin to not attend the camp had already been made, and that she was simply informed of the decision.
Mdm Lung will resume her time on the stand on Wednesday morning, when counsel for Benjamin’s family Mr Choo is expected to pose questions to her. Two other witnesses, both police officers involved in the investigation, will take the stand on Wednesday.
They are Inspector Poh Wee Teck, who interviewed Benjamin at the school, and Senior Investigation Officer Mohammad Fareed Rahmat, who interviewed Benjamin at the police station. Senior Investigation Officer Fareed had also interviewed the 11-year-old girl.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/benjamin-lim-case-father/2792460.html?cid=fbcna
CCTV footage from the incident on Jan 25 was played on Tuesday (May 17) and viewed by Benjamin’s family. Counsel for the boy's family, Mr Choo Zheng Xi, said Benjamin's father is of the view that there was "no bodily contact" between Benjamin and the 11-year-old, just a "brush at the area of the girl's skirt" as the boy bent down to pick up his mobile phone.
The Coroner's Court heard in the morning that the girl felt a "soft tap" on her left buttock and when she glanced down, saw the person's right hand moving away from her. State Counsel Wong Woon Kwong told the court the girl had immediately called her father, crying, to tell him what had happened.
State Coroner Marvin Bay noted Mr Lim’s quarrel with the report and CCTV footage, and also acknowledged Mr Wong's point that the Investigation Officer for the case, Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Mohamed Razif, stands by his description of events that took place in the lift between Benjamin and the 11-year-old girl.
ASP Razif was the first witness to testify at the two-day inquiry into Benjamin's death.
The 14-year-old fell to his death from his Yishun flat on Jan 26, shortly after he was questioned by police over the molestation allegation. The cause of and circumstances surrounding his death are the subject of the Coroner's Inquiry, which began on Tuesday.
The teen’s mother also disputed the allegations against her son. According to the investigation report, Benjamin’s mother did not believe her son had done anything, and thought Benjamin had been “set up”. After she had picked Benjamin up from the police station, Mrs Lim asked him to be honest with her on whether he had molested the girl. The teen said he had not. Mrs Lim then told her son he should not have admitted to the allegations if they were not true, the report stated.
During the proceedings on Tuesday morning, two new pieces of information regarding Benjamin's state of mind in the hours before his death, and a previous diagnosis of a childhood emotional disorder were revealed. On the day he died, he did not show any signs of distress when he was questioned by the police, except when he spoke to his mother on the phone while at school, the court heard.
SCHOOL TOOK GREAT CARE TO ENSURE BENJAMIN WAS SENSITIVELY TREATED: PRINCIPAL
The second witness to testify was Benjamin's school principal, Chen Fook Pang. According to Mr Chen, the school took great care to ensure the teen was sensitively treated.
For example, Mr Chen said he asked the police to allow him to speak privately to Benjamin before they questioned him, and for only one out of the five officers present to question him. The officers agreed to Mr Chen’s requests, and only one officer interviewed Benjamin both at the school and at the police station.
In response to questions from Mr Choo, Mr Chen told the court that it was his opinion that the number of officers that showed up at the school was "too big". “If you want to speak to my boy, one is enough”, Mr Chen had said. He added that prior to their arrival, he had not known that five officers would turn up.
Mr Chen also testified that he felt he had "pushed his luck" in requesting that he be allowed to sit in when police questioned the boy in the principal's office.
The police agreed to this, said Mr Chen. He also clarified that he used the term "pushed his luck" as there have been previous instances in which police did not allow staff to be present when students were being interviewed.
BENJAMIN’S MOTHER AGREED IT WAS BEST FOR HIM TO STAY HOME: COUNSELOR
Also present in the principal’s office as Benjamin was being questioned was school counselor Mdm Karry Lung. She testified that Benjamin seemed “slightly stressed” but was “coping well” until he called his mother to let her know what had happened. She testified that Mrs Lim “spoke very loudly over the phone” and the boy became visibly stressed.
Mdm Lung told the court she “sensed that the conversation between Benjamin and his mother was not doing Benjamin any good”, and signaled for him to end the call.
Mdm Lung said she spoke to Mrs Lim later that day, after the latter had brought her son home from the police station. The counselor said school administrators had discussed the issue and decided to suggest to Mrs Lim that Benjamin not attend the school camp, which was to be held over the next few days. Mdm Lung said Mrs Lim had readily agreed to this suggestion.
Mr Wong told the court Mrs Lim disputes this, saying the decision for Benjamin to not attend the camp had already been made, and that she was simply informed of the decision.
Mdm Lung will resume her time on the stand on Wednesday morning, when counsel for Benjamin’s family Mr Choo is expected to pose questions to her. Two other witnesses, both police officers involved in the investigation, will take the stand on Wednesday.
They are Inspector Poh Wee Teck, who interviewed Benjamin at the school, and Senior Investigation Officer Mohammad Fareed Rahmat, who interviewed Benjamin at the police station. Senior Investigation Officer Fareed had also interviewed the 11-year-old girl.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/benjamin-lim-case-father/2792460.html?cid=fbcna
