State coroner records a verdict of suicide in David Widjaja's case

State coroner records a verdict of suicide in David Widjaja's case
By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 29 July 2009 1703 hrs

	Photos 1 of 1 Family members of deceased David Hartanto Wijaya walk out of the subordinate courts. (L-R): David's elder brother, father and mother.
	Video State coroner records a verdict of suicide in David Widjaja's case

SINGAPORE: Singapore's state coroner on Wednesday recorded a verdict of suicide in the case of David Widjaja, who was found dead on the grounds of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on March 2 after stabbing his professor with a knife.

Widjaja, an Indonesian national, was a student in NTU's faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, while Professor Chan Kap Luk was the one supervising Widjaja in his final year project.

State coroner Victor Yeoh took nearly one and a half hours to deliver his 73-page verdict. He concluded that at about 10.25am that day, Widjaja had voluntarily stabbed Chan with a knife in the professor's office.

The coroner added that a struggle followed, and it was possible that Widjaja could have sustained some injuries during the struggle.

Yeoh also concluded that after the incident, Widjaja had walked towards the parapet wall near a link bridge, sat at the edge and then fell to his death on his own.

The coroner also concluded that there was no foul play involved in the incident.

The inquiry into Widjaja's death was held over 10 days with 27 witnesses testifying, including pathologists who carried out the autopsy, police officers at the scene of the incident and NTU students and staff who had witnessed the event.

Much of Wednesday morning's proceedings involved the state counsel rebutting many of the submissions made by the family and its lawyers.

The family had made some final submissions to the court, claiming that the evidence given by some of the witnesses during the 10-day inquiry was untruthful.

Yeoh noted that it is the family's contention that Widjaja was murdered by Chan. However, he explained that the autopsy findings were consistent with the accounts given by several witnesses who saw Widjaja fall on his own.

Dr Marian Wang and Professor Gilbert Lau, who performed the autopsy report on Widjaja, had certified that he had died of multiple injuries.

The coroner noted the family's contention that they would have brought Widjaja's body back to Indonesia for another autopsy if the cause of death was multiple injuries.

However, he stressed that there was no basis for the family to question the integrity of the pathologists in the discharge of their professional duties. He also said he did not find anything suspicious in the way the autopsy was performed.

Yeoh also concluded that Chan was a credible witness, and he had not deliberately concealed anything during the inquiry. The coroner also stated that the relationship between Chan and Widjaja was professional, and that Widjaja was not being singled out by the professor.

Yeoh also noted that it was Widjaja who had stabbed the professor, as only Widjaja's DNA was found on the handle of the knife.

Meanwhile, the family's lawyer Shashi Nathan said the Widjaja family intends to pursue the findings of the coroner back in Indonesia.

- CNA/yb

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=34205.1