2007 09: Mum: Still no action after rape report lodged in 2001

The Star online. News. Courts. Saturday September 15, 2007

By CHELSEA L.Y. NG

KUALA LUMPUR: The father of an eight-year-old rape victim lodged a report in July 2001 against her assailants but, until now, no one has been charged in court, the High Court heard.

The girl’s mother, who filed a suit against the police and the Government, testified yesterday that her husband had since been murdered while her elder son and she had been assaulted for refusing to withdraw the police report.

“The rape incident happened on July 12, 2001.

“Until today, my daughter has not gone to any court to testify about the rape,” she said.

Asked by her counsel M. Manoharan as to why police did not take any action, the 32-year-old mother of four said:

“I have asked the police about why there was no action taken against the suspects and they told me they had not caught anyone and investigations was still ongoing,” she said.

She said she could not understand why the suspects were not caught as they had repeatedly broken into her flat unit to harass her.

She said her husband had once quarrelled with a policeman at the Sentul police station about the lack of protection given to his family despite the continuous harassment by the suspects following the rape report.

“During the quarrel, the policeman tore the statement recorded from me while saying ‘You think we have nothing better to do?”‘

Earlier when cross-examined by senior federal counsel Amarjeet Singh, the woman denied that she had concocted her story in court and in the 15 police reports lodged between July and October 2001.

The housewife said she had no choice but to sue the police who failed to protect her family after the rape report on July 12, 2001.

In the suit, she named two OCPDs, the city police chief, the Inspector-General of Police and the Government as defendants. She is seeking RM450,500 in special damages.

The defendants denied the allegations and claimed that police surveillance was carried out near her house for the purpose of protecting her and her family.

The hearing before Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat continues on Dec 5.