RM149,000 award will not bring back my son, says teary-eyed mum
GEORGETOWN: The mother of Cheah Chin Lee who died in police custody five years ago was in tears despite being awarded RM149,000 by the High Court in a negligence suit filed against the Government.
Lim Gaik Suan, 71, said the money meant nothing as it would still not bring back her son.
“He was a happygolucky person,” said a tearyeyed Lim outside the courtroom yesterday.
She was one of the two plaintiffs who filed the suit against the Government, the then InspectorGeneral of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, the then Rela directorgeneral Datuk Mustafa Ibrahim and 14 other Rela members and policemen.
The other plaintiff was Chin Lee’s sister Saw Imm, 51.
They were awarded RM114,000 in dependency claims, RM20,000 in exemplary damages and RM15,000 for funeral expenses, from the date of filing on Aug 18, 2015, until realisation.
The court also ordered the defendants to pay RM35,000 in court proceedings fees.
Penang High Court Judicial Commissioner Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed, in his judgment, said the defendants were liable for the death of Chin Lee at the lockup in Tanjung Tokong police station in August 2012.
“The police should ensure the safety of detainees during custody from the time of arrest,” he said.
The plaintiffs were represented by M. Visvanathan and Chan Yen Hui while Senior Federal Counsel Rahazlan Affandi Abdul Rahim acted for the defendants.
Chin Lee, a furniture shop assistant, was found dead between 5.07am and 5.30am on Aug 13, 2012, a few hours after he was taken into police custody for allegedly trying to steal a motorcycle that day.
CCTV footage of the lockup where Chin Lee was found dead showed that he was alone in the cell.
On May 22, 2015, a coroner’s court found that Chin Lee committed suicide while in police custody in 2012.
Magistrate L. Umma Devi, sitting as coroner, delivered her findings at the close of the inquest which went on for two years.