4 cops acquitted of causing Dharmendran's custodial death

KUALA LUMPUR: A police officer and three policemen today shed tears of joy and hugged each other when they were freed of the charge of causing the death of N. Dharmendran while in police custody.
High Court judge Datuk Kamardin Hashim acquitted and discharged Inspector S. Hare Krishnan, 42, Sgt Jaffri Jaafar, 46, Cpl Mohd Nahar Abd Rahman, 47, and Cpl Mohd Haswadi Zamri Shaari, 34, on the charge after the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused.
He said the prosecution's case was merely based on the evidence according to the situation, and not inclined towards the findings and facts that caused the detainee's death.
The four were charged with causing the death of Dharmendran, 32, in the interrogation room, Serious Crime Division, 7th Floor, Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters, Jalan Hang Tuah between May 18 and 21, 2013.
They face the death sentence if convicted of the offence under Section 2 of the Penal Code.
The four cops had been freed of the murder charge for over a year, but returned to prison last Feb 26 when the Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the High Court on Dec 12, 2014 which acquitted the accused without calling for their defence.
Dharmendran was detained over alleged attempted murder with a firearm.
Jaffri, Mohd Nahar and Mohd Haswadi were represented by lawyer Datuk Baljit Singh Sidhu, and Hare Krishman by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo.
DPP Suhaimi Ibrahim appeared for the prosecution, which called 58 witnesses during the trial, while the defence called 19 witnesses.
Last April 28, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), formed to investigate Dharmendran's death, found it to be caused by the use of physical force on him by police.
EAIC chairman Datuk Yaacob Md Sam said the autopsy report by the Forensic Department of Kuala Lumpur Hospital on May 22, 2013 found Dharmendran's death to be caused by diffuse soft tissue injuries due to multiple blunt force trauma. — Bernama