A fireman accused of covering up for his colleagues over missing valuables belonging to Cradle Fund CEO Nazrin Hassan said he saw one of the accused remove some items from the dead man’s bedroom.
Tan Hoss Bah Agem, the 13th prosecution witness in the murder trial, denied lead defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s accusations that Nazrin’s Tissot watch and an undisclosed sum of cash were stolen by firemen or policemen at the scene.
Tan Hoss, who was the acting supervisor at the Damansara fire station, told the court the valuables were taken by one of the accused.
Nazrin, 45, was found dead in his room at his Mutiara Damansara home in Petaling Jaya on Hari Raya eve on June 14 last year.
His wife, Samirah Muzaffar and her two teenage sons are charged with his murder.
At the Shah Alam High Court today, the 28-year-old Tan Hoss was grilled on a police report lodged by Samirah who alleged that her husband’s Tissot watch and cash notes went missing after the fire was put out.
“The protocol was breached. The crime scene was not guarded by the authorities and therefore there was contamination of evidence,” Shafee told the witness.
“You tried to amend your statement because you wanted to cover up for your teammates and the police. The situation was getting worse, so you wanted to cover it up,” Shafee pressed on.
Tan Hoss disagreed and argued that one of the accused went up to the room and removed the items.
“So, you are saying that this accused went up to the crime scene without getting any permission and grabbed the phone and cash notes, walking past the dead body?” Shafee asked.
“You are trying to lie, aren’t you, to cover up?”
Tan Hoss stood his ground, stressing that he saw one of the accused taking the things but could not be sure if it was the watch or the money.
The witness, however, admitted that the standard operating procedure was breached when the accused was allowed to enter the crime scene while the investigation was ongoing.
Last week, another prosecution witness lost her cool when she was also accused of lying by Shafee.
Retired female police officer Nur Ronal Adnes Amir snapped at Shafee when he accused her of fabricating her witness account, leading to an intense argument that caused Shafee to tell the witness not to fight with him.
Nazrin’s case was originally classified as sudden death but that was changed to murder after investigators found traces of petrol in the room.
In the first post-mortem, pathologists concluded that Nazrin died of head injuries caused by an exploding handphone.
A second post-mortem that required the exhumation of the body revealed that Nazrin had sustained head injuries from the application of a blunt object.
Samirah, daughter of prominent Muslim thinker Chandra Muzaffar, and two children are defended by a team of seven lawyers led by Shafee.
The trial resumes Monday. – TMI
Earlier reports:
Nov 15, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Heated Exchange Between Witness and Lawyer Shafee
Nov 8, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Nazrin’s Body Not Typical of Fire Victim
Oct 3, Fireman: Cradle Fund CEO Had Holes on Head, Fireworks Found in Victim’s Room
Oct 3, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Samirah’s Son Filed Police Report of Cops Lying to Him
Oct 2, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Fireman Says Widow Didn’t Seem Sad at His Death
Sept 28, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Cop Saw Head and Face Injuries on Deceased
Sept 20, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Public Entered House After Fire
Sept 20, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Cop Who Received Call on Fire, Photographer Testify
Sept 13, Cradle Fund CEO Murder Trial: Guard Tried to Break Down Bedroom Door
Sept 6, Prosecution to Prove Widow. Stepsons Killed Cradle Fund CEO