Child death: Family shocked over police version
Published on: Tuesday, December 03, 2019
By: Sherell Jeffrey
Last moments of the toddler walking towards the area where one of them fell.
Kota Kinabalu: Family members of a toddler who succumbed to her injuries after falling from a gap on the fifth floor of a building along Jalan Bundusan, Penampang, on Sunday, are shocked over a Chinese newspaper report that implied that the mother was not supervising her child at the time of the tragedy.The Chinese newspaper report was based on the official police media statement that the child’s mother “membiar”, which literally means allowed them to do as they liked.
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“In fact, the mother was just behind video recording her two children (the victim and her three-year-old sister) as they ran excitedly towards the end of the link-bridge (where her one year and seven-month-old daughter fell through the gap),” said the girl’s uncle, Roger Chow, who came to the Daily Express’ office here.
He said the public can see for themselves what really happened by watching the video (below) taken by the mother.
He said the family is puzzled as to how the police version that was issued to the press was different from the one that was actually lodged, which did not have the word “membiar” and the fact that there was a sizeable gap in the flooring at the end of the walkway that was not visible to any unsuspecting individual, be it an adult or child.
The mother, he said, did not “membiar” or was irresponsible as suggested but was video filming as any other parent would of their children running ahead of her, not knowing of the danger that lay ahead.
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In her police report the mother had also mentioned that there were no warning signs put up by the management of the building that the part where she fell to her death was unsafe.
“We are very surprised over how the police report had turned out differently,” he said.
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Based on the report issued to the media, the family had gone out to eat at a restaurant on the fifth floor of the premises.
The mother was said to have let the victim and her brother play in the surrounding area. The youngsters were said to have gone through a corridor connecting a building that was under construction.
Chow also pointed out another error in the police version, saying it was a sister and not a brother.
The police version did, however, say the victim slipped into a corner with insufficient safety resulting in her falling.
The victim lost her footing and fell through the gap, resulting in her plummeting five floors to the ground. She was pronounced dead about 4.30pm by doctors at the hospital.
Police were alerted of the incident about 3.40pm. The case was classified as sudden death.
Chow provided Daily Express the actual police report lodged by the girl’s mother clearly stating that she was video recording her children’s playful behaviour in front of her when one of them suddenly dropped from the fifth floor.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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