SHAH ALAM: Lawyer Datuk Naran Singh today revealed that pneumonia was listed as the cause of death in the initial post-mortem report of the late 22-year-old Palapes cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin.
Naran said he received a certified copy of the report last night from Bukit Aman’s Classified Crime Investigation Unit investigating officer, Assistant Superintendent Mohamad Sukri Ishak.
“However, we do not want the report from a third party. We are requesting the High Court to issue an order compelling Kota Tinggi Hospital (HKT), where Syamsul Haris passed away, to officially hand over the report along with the casualty notes.
“While the first post-mortem indicated pneumonia, a second post-mortem conducted by Dr Siew Sheue Feng, consultant forensic medical specialist and head of the forensic medicine department at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, concluded that the cause of death was, in his opinion, a traumatic neck injury.
“Why is HKT refusing to release the report and why the silence from them? Since Syamsul Haris’ case has been classified as murder, we want to know who the culprits who caused his death,” he said outside the courtroom.
Federal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk M. Kumar said Syamsul Haris’ death has been classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Earlier, during proceedings, deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin said she needed to obtain further instructions from the Attorney-General regarding the release of the first post-mortem report.
High Court judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet fixed Dec 12 for mention.
Syamsul Haris, a Universiti Teknologi Malaysia student, died on July 28 at the Kota Tinggi Hospital while undergoing training at the Combat Inoculation Firing Range of the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram, Johor.
He was buried on July 29 at the Kampung Riching Ulu Muslim Cemetery in Selangor, before his body was exhumed for a second post-mortem following an order by the Shah Alam High Court judge.
His mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, 45, believes her eldest son may have been assaulted and suffered brain and chest injuries.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
