Gold trader’s widow awarded RM200,000 over fatal shooting

(From left) M. Kula Segaran, Leong Seok Cheng, Chen Meng Hui and N. Selvam at the Ipoh Sessions Court today after a police officer was found liable for the fatal shooting of Leong’s husband in 2009. – Pic courtesy of M. Kula Segaran, April 3, 2015.

The Ipoh Sessions Court today awarded the family of a gold trader RM200,000 in damages after finding a police officer liable for the fatal shooting of the man six years ago.

Sessions judge Sunita Kaur in her judgment said the plaintiffs had proved their case on the balance of probability that it was Chief Inspector Mohd Taufik Peter Abdullah who discharged his firearm.

"The plaintiff has adduced evidence through witnesses to show that the first defendant (Taufik) is the man primarily responsible for the shooting and killing of Chen Fun Kee.”

The incident occurred outside Chen's workplace in Ipoh about 5pm on September 16, 2009.

Chen's widow Leong Seok Cheng and the couple's only child, Ming Hui, 15, filed the negligent suit against the Taufik and the government.

In the suit, the plaintiffs said they also suffered loss of support and damages as a result of the Chen's untimely death.

Taufik has also been charged with the murder of Chen the case was ongoing.

Lawyer M. Kula Segaran, who represented plaintiffs, said this was a case of a person killed by a police officer using arms belonging to the police force.

"This implicates the police and they are answerable to the family of the deceased. A man of 42 years of age was robbed of his life and thus the continuous care and support to this family has been permanently cut off," he said in a statement.

Kula Segaran, who is Ipoh Barat MP, said police argued that the killing by Taufik was “a frolic of his own” but it must be borne in mind that the police had a supreme duty of care and duty to society at large which included the deceased. 

"It has to be remembered whatever compensation the family may get will not bring the deceased alive.

“But the guilty and those in power should be made accountable for their negligence in this case," said Kula Segaran, who was assisted by N. Selvam.

He said although by and large the police were carrying out their statutory functions, it could not be denied there were some unnecessary bad elements in the force. 

"These men must be weeded out; the earlier the better before the public lose confidence in the police department."

He said this incident was also a wake-up call to Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to put his house in order.

- TMI