SIBU: The sister of a slain timber businessman in the quadruple murder last year told the High Court yesterday that she cried after seeing her brother’s body in the kitchen and when she wanted to go upstairs the police stopped her.
Questioned by deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Muslim Abdul Hamid, housewife Ling Yii Ming, 40, said she could not see clearly the condition of her brother’s body.
“I did not go near because I was scared. The door to the kitchen was wide open”, she said when testifying against a 17-year-old boy charged with murder and attempted murder.
Ling Tong Hock, a 36-year-old businessman, his mother Leong Nyuk Lan, 76, and his two children, David, 10 and Amy, 7, were brutally murdered in their double-storey terraced house on Jan 3, last year.
His wife, Li Shiao Lan, escaped while his other child, Kelvin, was seriously injured but survived the attack.
The 17-year-old is charged with the murder of Leong, Ling, David and Amy with a sledge hammer at their house in RTM Road here between 6am and 7.30am that fateful day.
He is also indicted for attempted murder of Kevin at the same time and venue.
To another question, Yii Ming said she did not see her mother in the living room, which she described as very messy then.
Earlier, she said that at about 8am on Jan 3 last year, she was at home when she received a call from her sister, Yii Choo, telling her to go to their brother’s house at RTM Road.
She said she did not know what was happening, but she did go to the house where she saw quite a crowd in front of Tong Hock’s house.
She entered the house through the main door.
To a question, she said she was asked by the police to sit at the sofa in the living room and not to enter any other rooms or move around.
She told the court she did not see Li (Shiao Lan) inside the house at that time and later she was asked to bring her into the house.
She said she remained in the living room while Li went upstairs but did not know whether Li was accompanied by any police officer.
When asked of Li’s purpose of going upstairs, Yii Ming said it was to view the CCTV.
After that, she said Li was asked to go to the police station, accompanied by her other sister, Yii Ying, in a police car.
She was told to go to the police station later. On her arrival at the station later she was asked to wait together with Li and Yii Ying in a room.
To another question, Yii Ming said that at that particular time, she knew that Tong, her mother and three of the children were killed while another one, Kelvin was injured.
She also told the court that her relationship with Tong Hock and his second wife, Li, was good.
She said Tong Hock married Li after divorcing his first wife.
Cross-examined by defence counsel Darren Ling, Yii Ming said she did not know why Tong Hock divorced his first wife.
She agreed with Darren that it was fair to say that to a certain degree of Tong Hock’s personal life, her brother would not disclose it to her.
Hearing continues today.