Autistic teen found dead

[Jiang Wei]

Tuesday October 26, 2010

Autistic teen found dead

By M. KUMAR
[email protected]

PETALING JAYA: An autistic teenager has been found dead, believed to be physically and sexually abused by his caretakers. Nineteen-year-old Brian Goh Kah Heng is believed to have died in a shelter for the mentally disabled. His brother Jonathan Goh, 21, said the family received a call at about 11.30am on Sunday from a caretaker at the shelter informing them that Brian was having difficulty in breathing.

“When we told them to take him to the hospital, they asked us to come and do it ourselves. However, by the time we arrived about 20 minutes later, he had passed away,” Jonathan said yesterday. Jonathan said the family had misgivings over his death and asked that the body be taken to University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) for a post-mortem, but the caretakers tried to talk them out of it.

“However, we insisted and sent Brian’s body to UMMC. “We were shocked when the post-mortem results came out,” Jonathan said. The report showed Brian was a victim of abuse as he had severe bruises on various parts of his body, including extensive damage to his liver. It also said that there were signs of him being sodomised.

Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed confirmed the report. Police are investigating the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. A forensic team was seen at the shelter but so far, no arrests have been made. The shelter, believed to have started about three years ago, has two caretakers in their 30s looking after about 19 mentally disabled patients.

 

[Jiang Wei]

Man held over teen’s death


Thursday October 28, 2010

Man held over teen’s death

PETALING JAYA: A foreigner has been remanded in connection with the death of an autistic teenager, who is believed to have been abused and sodomised at a centre for the disabled. Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed said the 26-year-old man was picked up at Section 3 near here at 2pm on Tuesday and police obtained a seven-day remand for him yesterday. The man was a caretaker at the centre.

Too much to bear: Chin crying as she follows the hearse carrying Goh’s (inset) body at the funeral in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

It was later found that he did not have any work permit. “We have recorded statements from several witnesses and more people may be questioned before we wrap up investigations,” he said. ACP Arjunaidi said investigations revealed that the centre was not registered with the Welfare Department.

It is learnt that the shelter in Section 18, believed to have started operations about three years ago, has two caretakers looking after 19 mentally-disabled patients. The funeral of Brian Goh Kah Heng, 19, was conducted at 10am yesterday and he was buried at the Lutheran Gardens cemetery in Kampung Melayu, Subang.

His mother, Elizabeth Chin, 50, said she noticed there were bruises on her son during her last visit to the centre two weeks ago but was told by the caretaker that the boy had fallen. Goh, who was sent to the home in May, had cerebral palsy and autism. On Sunday, the family received a telephone call from the centre, informing them that Goh was having breathing difficulties.

The family quickly took him to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A post-mortem revealed that he had a ruptured spleen and severe injuries to his anus. Doctors also found severe internal injuries and bruises on the teen. It was learnt that police recovered a metal rod from the centre which could have been used in abusing the victim. The case is being investigated as a murder.

 

[Kojiro Sasaki]

Man charged with death of autistic teenager


Published: Tuesday November 9, 2010 MYT 2:53:00 PM

Man charged with death of autistic teenager

PETALING JAYA (Bernama): A welfare centre worker was charged in a Magistrate's Court here with the murder of an autistic teen two weeks ago. S. Tirupathi, 26, nodded his head when the charge was read. No plea was recorded.

Tirupathi, who was unrepresented, is charged with murdering Brian Goh Kah Heng, 19, at house No 38, Jalan 18/19, Taman Kanagapuram near here, between 10.30am and 11.30am on Oct 24.

The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Rehab Abdul Shukur requested for a new mention date pending the result of a chemistry report. Magistrate Mohamad Ibrahim Mohammad Ghulam fixed Jan 5 next year for mention.

 

[Kojiro Sasaki]

Dept orders centre for disabled to close


Dept orders centre for disabled to close

PETALING JAYA: The centre for the disabled where autistic teenager Brian Goh Kah Heng, 19, died has been ordered to close by the Welfare Department. The centre, however, asked the department for a delay because it was still locating the families of 17 mentally-disabled patients.

“Forcing the patients to a new unfamiliar place and surroundings would be very stressful to them. It would be best if they were taken care of by their families,” said a worker at the centre, who declined to be identified, yesterday. It was learnt that the notice of closure was issued on Tuesday following Goh’s death on Sunday and the centre was also not registered with the Welfare Department.

The worker said two patients had already returned to their families, who picked them up on Wednesday. A 26-year-old man, a foreigner, was picked up at Section 3 here on Tuesday and police obtained a seven-day remand for him. It was later revealed that the man, who was also a caretaker at the centre, did not possess a work permit. Goh, who was sent to the home in May, had cerebral palsy and autism.

On Sunday, his family received a telephone call from the centre, informing them that he was having breathing difficulties. The family took him to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A post-mortem revealed that he had a ruptured spleen and severe injuries to his anus. Doctors also found severe internal injuries and bruises on the teen. Police recovered a metal rod from the centre, which could have been used to abuse him.