Snapped belt may have caused Teoh's death, inquest told

SHAH ALAM, Aug 6 – Government DNA expert Dr Seah Lay Hong told the coroner's court today that instructions from police investigators did not include checking the possibility of Teoh Beng Hock being murdered and had not been specifically considered in her analyses.

But she acknowledged one hypothesis surrounding Teoh's death – that unknown men could have held the DAP political aide by his belt which snapped and caused him to fall to his death.

Dr Seah said, however, that she had not been given access to photographs taken of Teoh showing the position of his body after his fall, and had to resort to her own theories to determine the cause of his death.

Under intensive questioning from lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who represents Teoh's family, the DNA scientist said she had to form her own “hypotheses” on where to swab for possible human contact to find out if there had been foul play in how the 30-year-old died.

Dr Seah had tested 157 people to find a match to at least two unidentified men whose DNA profiles had been found on certain parts of the jacket and trousers worn by Beng Hock when he was found dead.

In her analysis, she noted that none of the DNA from the 157 tested matched those of Mr X, whom she had named in her report as “Male 1”. Nor did they match that of Mr X2, whom she did not name in her report.

Dr Seah noted that there was a possibility of more than two unknown males involved. In her analysis, swabs taken from a torn belt worn by Beng Hock revealed a mixture of male DNA specimens, in which she could make only the DNA profiles of Mr X – or “Male 1” as she put it – and at least one other male whose identity is unconfirmed.

Gobind then suggested to Dr Seah that one of the possible ways Beng Hock died was if he had been held by several men by his belt, which then snapped causing him to fall to his death.

“That is one of the many possibilities,” she said.

However, in answer to a question from lawyer Rajpal Singh, who is holding a watching brief for the Bar Council, Dr Seah explained to the inquest that the belt worn by Teoh bore an “irregular tear”, which showed it had not been cut by a sharp object.

The chemist, who holds a PhD in forensic DNA, said the police investigating officer (IO) ASP Ahmad Nazri Zainal had told her Teoh had been interrogated by MACC officers before he died; and that his “fall could be accidental or not accidental.”

Dr Seah was the ninth witness called to the stand since the inquest started last week. She was subjected to a severe grilling from Gobind.

Gobind: Did the IO tell you he was interrogated and he could have been murdered? Dr Seah: Not in so many words.

Gobind: You mean in less words?

Dr Seah: No. He didn't say murder. It could be accidental or not accidental.

Gobind: If not accidental, doesn’t that mean murder?

At this point, Tan Hock Chuan, a former deputy public prosecutor appointed to lead the Attorney General’s team to aide the coroner in the inquest cut in. He strongly objected Gobind's line of questioning and pointed out that “a fall that is not accidental may mean murder and may mean something else.”

Questioned further, she also admitted that the results of her analysis does not conclusively absolve the 157 people she had tested from having a hand in Beng Hock's death.

Because of that, Gobind contends that she failed to conduct a thorough check on Beng Hock's body and clothes for other foreign matter.

Dr Seah admitted she only swabbed certain areas, based on instructions given by police, thereby limiting the scope of investigation into the causes of Teoh's death.

“The scope of investigation is very narrow and did not include that all open possibility that there was a murder,” Gobind told reporters after the coroner adjourned the inquest.

“Whatever hypothesis she was working on could not have been effective because she did not have sight of photographs which clearly showed the deceased in the position he died,” he added.

“The 157 who were tested have been absolved only because their DNA were not found but this does not mean that they are not involved. And she agreed with that,” Gobind pointed out.

But Dr Seah, who in reply to an earlier question from Tan, said she had followed the Chemistry Department's procedures in her examinations.

Pressed if it was “normal” for the IO to supply her with photographs showing the position of a dead body to help her form her conclusion, she promptly said it was “not normal to submit photos.”

“Did the IO tell you the deceased was interrogated by SPRM officers and after interrogation, suicidce was possible? Did he say that?” Tan probed, referring to the anti-graft officers by their Malay initials.

“Yes,” Dr Seah replied.

A total of 40 items sealed by the government Chemistry Department, which were taken from Teoh and from the scene of death and used in the toxicology, criminology and DNA tests, were presented as case exhibits in the coroner’s cort today.

Among them were a snapped wristwatch, parts of a window latch and various articles of Teoh’s last worn clothing, which included his bloodstained shirt and jacket to his socks and underwear.

Magistrate Azmil Muntapha Abas, who is acting as coroner, will continue the inquest tomorrow morning with a visit to where Teoh’s body was found sprawled at Plaza Masalam, less than a kilometre away from the courthouse here.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/34420-snapped-belt-may-have-cause-teohs-death-inquest-told-