2007 05: Two accused were hanging from the ceiling, court told

NST online. Local News. 16/05/07

JOHOR BARU: A security guard, who is accused of strangling his three children to death, was hanging motionless when a neighbour found him on that fateful day nearly three years ago.

"I saw the man and his 16-year-old daughter hanging from the ceiling of a room upstairs while three other children were lying motionless on the floor," A. Vasudevan told the High Court yesterday.

Deputy public prosecutor Shahri- zal Shaari had asked him to describe what he saw at the security guard’s house on Nov 20, 2004.

"As the girl was still standing on a chair with the cloth noose wrapped around her lower jaw, I went to help her first."

Vasudevan said he managed to free the girl and went to help the man, but found that the noose was too tight.

He then rushed to get a knife to cut the rope.

"When I cut it, the man fell to the ground and was unconscious for about two minutes."

Vasudevan was testifying at the trial of the 47-year-old security guard, who is jointly charged with his 16-year-old daughter, of murdering his three children aged 6, 5 and 3, at their home in Kulai between 10.30am and 3.30pm on Nov 20, 2004.

Vasudevan said when he questioned the 16-year-old girl about the three children, she told him that they were all dead.

He then checked the children’s bodies to confirm what she had told him.

He left the house and lodged a report at the Kulai police station.

Cross-examined by the security guard’s defence counsel, K.S. Sega- ran, Vasudevan said the 16-year-old accused did not suffer any injuries as the noose around her neck was quite loose.

Earlier, the caretaker of a private welfare home in Kulai testified that the security guard’s wife had sought shelter at the home on Nov 7.

L. Vishnu, 36, said the woman told him that she had left her home voluntarily as she and her husband were constantly having misunderstandings.

He said at 6.30pm on Nov 20, he accompanied the woman to the Kulai police station to lodge a report and to bring her children to live with her at the home.

"It was while we were there that we found out that her three children were dead," he said.

The 16-year-old accused is represented by S. Gunapati while Segaran is assisted by Bernard George. Hearing before Justice Datuk Jeffrey Tan continues.

.........................................

Girl held down siblings, court told
NST online. Local News. 17/05/07

JOHOR BARU: A 12-year-old girl held down her three siblings while her father allegedly strangled them with a piece of rope.

This was revealed at the High Court yesterday by the seventh prosecution witness, A. Vasudevan, a neighbour who stumbled on the gruesome scene in a house in Kulai in 2004.

The girl, now 16, allegedly told Vasudevan that she was asked by the father to hold the children’s feet while he strangled them.Vasudevan was asked by DPP Shahrizal Shaari to elaborate on his testimony on Tuesday that the girl told him her father ordered the killing of the three children.

The security guard and his daughter are charged with murdering the three children aged six, five and three at their home in Kulai between 10.30am and 3.30pm on Nov 20, 2004.

The security guard’s counsel, K.S. Segaran, in his cross examination of the witness, told the court that Vasudevan could be lying about the girl’s statement."I put it to you that you have discussed this matter with others and have been tutored to say this," Segaran said.

"Yesterday, you twice said that the girl told you that her father ordered the killing of the children but you did not elaborate."Vasudevan, however, maintained that he was telling the truth.

Segaran and his assistant, Bernard George, had earlier objected to Shahrizal’s request that he be allowed to continue with the examination-in-chief of Vasudevan.

Judge Datuk Jeffrey Tan, however, allowed Shahrizal’s application.

Segaran pointed out to the court that Vasudevan could not have spoken to the girl as he had testified earlier that he rushed to lodge a police report after seeing the bodies.

"He simply would not have had the time to question the girl," said Segaran. Another witness, a chemist who was formerly attached to the forensic division of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital, told the court he examined the bloodstains on a blouse which was handed to him by the police.

The witness, Soupy Daud, said the bloodstains on the blouse were type O.

Soupy said there were no bloodstains on two nylon ropes which were given to him for testing, adding that tests on blood samples from the three dead children showed no traces of poison or drugs.

The girl is represented by S. Gunapati. Hearing continues.