Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Mum charged with lodging false police report over daughter's death

KUALA LUMPUR: A housewife was charged with lodging a false police report last month over the death of her five-year-old daughter who was found lying naked in her car. 

Loo Mei Foong, 24, was said to have lodged the false information report to Kpl Mohd Radzi Hashim, saying that her daughter Cheah Sieow Eng died in her car in Kepong. 

She was accused of giving such a report with the intention to stop investigating officer ASP Tan Chek Yang from conducting further investigation into the girl’s death. 

The post-mortem report revealed that the girl had strangulation marks on her neck, and her mouth and nose had been blocked before she died. 

Loo reportedly claimed that she left her daughter in the car for an hour while she went to get groceries at a sundry shop in Kepong that day. She claimed she found her daughter lying motionless and naked in the car when she returned, and rushed her to the Selayang Hospital 

Loo was alleged to have committed the offence at Kepong district police station at 1.20am on Feb 20. 

If convicted, Loo can be jailed up to six months or fined a maximum of RM2,000 or both under Section 182 of the Penal Code. 

The charge was read to Loo twice in Mandarin, after she stated that she did not understand the charge read to her earlier in Bahasa Malaysia. 

Loo, who was clad in a pink T-shirt and knee-level black tights, pleaded not guilty. 

DPP Mohd Hafiz Mohd Yusoff asked the court to set bail at RM10,000 in one surety, in view of public interest and the seriousness of the offence. 

Loo's lawyer Adam B.H. Yap pleaded for lower bail, saying his client, who is the eldest of five siblings, came from a poor family. 

He said her father was a construction labourer and that her mother, who was present in court, was willing to be her bailer. 

Magistrate Maimoonah Aid set her bail at RM3,000 in one surety and set April 7 for mention. Loo failed to post her bail and was taken to Kajang prison.

--THE STAR

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