Nov 20, 2009
2 teens had problems, jumped
By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent
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ernel was to have appeared in Juvenile Court that day for her sentencing for a theft case. -- PHOTO: SUNNY KOH
<!-- story content : start --> DEATH was not a punishment that a teenage girl and her close friend need to inflict on themselves, said a coroner on Friday when he recorded a verdict of suicide on their deaths. State Coroner Victor Yeo said there was room for compassion in the law and forgiveness in the hearts of loved ones. He was giving his findings in a 'very sad and unfortunate'' case of Mernel Koh Min Er, 15, and Eddy Effendy, 22, a private student, who fell to their deaths at Block 127 Bukit Batok West Avenue on Sept 30 last year (08). Both the Secondary 2 student and the Indonesian are believed to have fallen from the stairs on the ninth and 10th floor of the block, where a wooden stool, two pairs of slippers and a plastic bag with some yellowish substance believed to be glue were recovered from the landing. Mernel was to have appeared in Juvenile Court that day for her sentencing for a theft case. Eddy also had problems of his own. The family of a 14-year-old girl, whom he allegedly had sex with, had asked to meet his parent about the matter. Eddy agreed to arrange for them to meet on Oct 1.
Sidebar
Each left eight suicide notes
Eight suicide notes were found in each of their bags.
Mernel mentioned in a letter to her mother she would rather die than be sent to a girls' home for her offence.
In a note addressed to reporters and police, she wrote that Eddy and herself 'were not couple''. They had their own boyfriend and girlfriend. 'We just have problems in ourselves. Different problems,'' she wrote.
2 teens had problems, jumped
By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
ernel was to have appeared in Juvenile Court that day for her sentencing for a theft case. -- PHOTO: SUNNY KOH
<!-- story content : start --> DEATH was not a punishment that a teenage girl and her close friend need to inflict on themselves, said a coroner on Friday when he recorded a verdict of suicide on their deaths. State Coroner Victor Yeo said there was room for compassion in the law and forgiveness in the hearts of loved ones. He was giving his findings in a 'very sad and unfortunate'' case of Mernel Koh Min Er, 15, and Eddy Effendy, 22, a private student, who fell to their deaths at Block 127 Bukit Batok West Avenue on Sept 30 last year (08). Both the Secondary 2 student and the Indonesian are believed to have fallen from the stairs on the ninth and 10th floor of the block, where a wooden stool, two pairs of slippers and a plastic bag with some yellowish substance believed to be glue were recovered from the landing. Mernel was to have appeared in Juvenile Court that day for her sentencing for a theft case. Eddy also had problems of his own. The family of a 14-year-old girl, whom he allegedly had sex with, had asked to meet his parent about the matter. Eddy agreed to arrange for them to meet on Oct 1.
Sidebar
Each left eight suicide notes
Eight suicide notes were found in each of their bags.
Mernel mentioned in a letter to her mother she would rather die than be sent to a girls' home for her offence.
In a note addressed to reporters and police, she wrote that Eddy and herself 'were not couple''. They had their own boyfriend and girlfriend. 'We just have problems in ourselves. Different problems,'' she wrote.
