Mum's painful sobs as horror unfolds
By Low Ching Ling And Dawn Chia
July 21, 2005
IT must have already been hard enough for her to be in the same
room as her daughter's alleged killer.
But to have to view graphic reminders of the tragic death must have
been especially painful for Madam Huang Shu Ying.
Twice yesterday, the 32-year-old was subjected to such torment.
Both times she wept, at one point breaking into quiet sobs.
The first time, she was shown a photograph of her daughter's
decomposed body.
The second time, she watched a video re-enactment of the alleged
murder.
Malaysian Took Leng How, 23, is on trial for allegedly murdering
Huang Na, 8, last October.
Madam Huang, from China's Fujian province, finally took the stand
as a prosecution witness on the seventh day of the trial yesterday
morning.
She had entered the crowded courtroom with her usual stoic
expression. The court kaypohs, who had been eagerly anticipating
her arrival, gawked and pointed.
When asked by Senior State Counsel Lawrence Ang from the
prosecution team to identify Took, she took a quick glance at him
in the dock and nodded. Took appeared nonchalant.
It didn't take long for Madam Huang to be reminded of her
grief.
Mr Ang asked her to identify Huang Na by showing her a photograph
of the girl's decomposed body.
She cracked up, and Mr Ang had to halt his questioning for a few
minutes to let her regain her composure.
It was a heartrending sight as her sobs, slightly amplified by the
microphone, were the only audible sound in the quiet
courtroom.
HE SIMPLY BIT HIS NAILS
Meanwhile, Took, who sat just 2m away, did not show any emotion. He
simply bit his nails.
During her one-hour testimony, Madam Huang kept her head bowed most
of the time.
Her head sank lower as Took's lawyer, Mr Subhas Anandan, grilled
her on the stand.
After she stepped down, she looked annoyed.
In the afternoon, Madam Huang sat in the public gallery to listen
to the proceedings.
Again, she kept her head down most of the time, looking up
occasionally to see the photographs flashed on screen.
But several times, she stared long and hard at Took, mumbled under
her breath and looked down again.
Then came the video footage.
It had Took demonstrating, on a mannequin, to the police how he had
used the plastic bags to tie Huang Na up after he allegedly killed
her.
Then he showed how he karate-chopped the back of her neck,
strangled her, stomped on her neck, stripped her and finally
molested her.
It was too much for Madam Huang to bear.
Once again, she choked up. Clutching pieces of tissue paper as she
dabbed her eyes, her sniffles could be heard in the quiet public
gallery.
In contrast, Took smiled to himself as he watched the footage. But
his Indonesian-Chinese wife, Madam Yuli, 24, wept.
Minutes later, Madam Huang had to be escorted out of the courtroom
by a female CID officer. She did not return.
When the day's session ended at 4.30pm, she emerged from the
witness room, looking glum and with her head bowed as she walked
out of the court.
She did not speak to the press.
Most of the 60-strong crowd had turned up in court to see
her.
After she gave her testimony and returned to the witness room, a
quarter of the courtroom was empty.
Mr Toh, a 56-year-old retiree, said in Mandarin: 'I'm going home
now. There's nothing to watch anymore.'
