PENANG, 11 May 2009: The trial of Teh Hooi Wen, the mother of murdered three-year-old Shearwel Ooi Ying Ying, has been postponed to 14 Aug because the prosecuting officer did not turn up in court here today.
Magistrate Ainul Bashiirah Dona Don Buyajid fixed the new trial date after she was told that the prosecuting officer was following a course.
Teh’s lawyer, V Parthipan, told reporters outside the courtroom that the defence was ready for the hearing but had to accept the postponement since the prosecuting officer failed to appear.
According to reports, Ying Ying was found dead three days after she was reported missing on 5 July 2007.
Teh was initially charged with lodging a false report on her missing daughter despite knowing all along that the child had been murdered.
In November 2007, the prosecution amended the charge to making a false report to L/Cpl Khairun Nisah Abd Shani that her daughter was missing when in fact the child was dead.
The murder accused, Ong Chee Leong, was found hanged in Penang Prison in 19 Feb 2008 with a makeshift ligature from towels found in the prison clinic. — Bernama
