Malaysia Murder Case:

[DerekLeung]

KUALA LUMPUR:
2008/02/09


One brother is on the run and the other is off the hook.
It looks like no one will pay for the murder of See Sheau Fang.
Deputy public prosecutor Badius Zaman Ahmad said in his report to the
Attorney-General's Chambers, he had proposed not to appeal the
acquittal of 30-year-old Kher Then Heng, who was charged with See's
murder.

"We don't have any evidence other than that he hired an excavator and
dug a hole in the porch of the house where See was found," said
Badius, adding that the case against Then Heng's older brother, Tian
Hock, could only continue if the police nabbed the fugitive.

A mattress used by See during her imprisonment in the house also bore
the DNA of a third party.

However, it did not match that of Then Heng and no samples were taken
from Tian Hock while he was in custody.
The prosecution had decided not to pursue the matter further because
the evidence against Then Heng was slim.

"I met the head of the prosecution unit and explained the matter to
him. It was decided not to go ahead with the matter," said Badius.

Then Heng was acquitted by the Shah Alam High Court on Jan 24, without
his defence being called.

Judge Datuk Zaharah Ibrahim ruled that the prosecution had failed to
prove a prima facie case against him and there was "no clear
involvement" of Then Heng in See's murder, despite the prosecution
calling 21 witnesses to prove otherwise.

Then Heng, however, remains in police custody as he is a suspect in
another rape case.

-------------------------

 

[DerekLeung]

KUALA LUMPUR:[/SIZE]

"I caught my daughter's killer and the police lost him."

The bitterness in See Soon Thiam's voice was evident. It will haunt
him for the rest of his days.

The house in Sijangkang where the Kher brothers lived. See Sheau
Fang's body was buried in a pit.
The house in Sijangkang where the Kher brothers lived. See Sheau
Fang's body was buried in a pit.
The cement-covered pit in the compound of the Kher brothers' house.
The cement-covered pit in the compound of the Kher brothers' house.
Four years ago, the body of his daughter, See Sheau Fang, was found
wrapped in plastic and a blanket in a 1.6m-deep concrete-covered pit
in the compound of a house in Sijangkang, Selangor.

The case had been classified as kidnap-cum-murder. The family paid a
ransom of RM40,000 for the 18-year-old girl's release but to no avail.

Two brothers — Kher Tian Hock and Kher Then Heng — were the main suspects.

See, with several friends, had met the older brother to seek
information on Sheau Fang's whereabouts.
However, when his queries were shrugged off, See alerted the police,
resulting in Tian Hock's arrest on the day Sheau Fang's body was
found.

Tian Hock, however, escaped from the Tanjung Sepat police station and
is still on the run.

His younger brother was charged with the murder but was acquitted last
month due to lack of evidence.

"I don't believe in anybody or anything any more," See told the New
Straits Times at his home in Taman Melati, Jenjarum, Klang recently.
"Not the police, the government or the media.

"My wife, four children and I have never been the same again after the tragedy.

"Even festivals like Chinese New Year don't have any meaning for us
any more. What's the point of celebrating?"

The despondency of his words was reflected in the fact that his home
bore none of the New Year decorations that festooned other houses in
his neighbourhood.

His family, upon seeing yet another reporter at their doorstep,
quickly retreated indoors and bolted the door behind them.

See, who was listlessly painting his porch, was obviously still
hurting and did not once make eye contact during the conversation.

"I gave the police one of the suspects myself, but he escaped," the
grieving man said.

"The other one has been acquitted of the crime because of a lack of evidence.

"What's the point of pursuing the matter further? There's no point in
talking about it any more."

The only consolation for him is that Then Heng is still behind bars
for another case.

"Talking about this is useless. The point is the killers got away and
we are heartbroken."

Four years have passed since the murder and it's clear that the family
is still grieving.

They moved out of their family home in Sg Jarum, Jenjarum, three years
ago to start afresh, but it is obvious that life will never be the
same again.

The case was big news in Sijangkang, especially after the main suspect
escaped from police custody.

There were sightings of the fugitive in the area several months after
he had escaped, but he was never caught.

Residents were outraged and it is believed that at least one of them
took it out on the suspect's wife by forcing poison down her throat.

She was hospitalised for several days, but continues to stay in Jenjarum.