K
Kiyomori Taira
Guest
Published: Monday January 17, 2011 MYT 2:02:00 PM
Lorry driver wins defamation suit over sex slave article
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD
TEMERLOH: The High Court ruled in favour of a lorry driver who was sued for defamation by his late girlfriend’s father and a Chinese medium over news articles of her being a sex slave to the medium. Judicial Commissioner Akhtar Tahir said the girl’s father and the medium had failed to prove that Chow Yan Wai, 33, had uttered such remarks in news reported by China Press daily over the incidents.
The court also awarded Chow a sum of RM8,000 in costs.
Ngew Sin Chon, 52, and Liew Fatt Meng, 47, filed the defamation suit against Chow, The China Press Berhad and its then Chief-in-Editor, Teoh Yang Koon, on Jan 7, 2009 after a series of news articles appeared claiming that Ngeow Tie Wie had been a sex slave to Liew for several years.
Tie Wie, 24, committed suicide in November 2007, reportedly because she could no longer bear being subjected to Liew’s sexual assaults.
Among the contents printed by the daily were claims of the father sending his daughter to stay with the medium over some superstitious beliefs from the time she was 19.
The lorry driver and Tie Wie had been seeing each other for about six months prior to her committing suicide.
China Press and its then editor-in-chief had settled the matter out of court early last year but Chow chose to proceed with a hearing that commenced on July 1, 2009. It concluded on Oct 20 last year.
Justice Akhtar also said that, based on testimony adduced in the court, the lorry driver had only spoken to the reporter about his love story with the deceased. “Other things mentioned in the stories reported in the newspaper were from other sources.
“As such, the plaintiffs have failed to prove their case against the first defendant and their claims for damages are dismissed with costs of RM8,000,’’ he added. The girl’s father and the medium were represented by counsel Albert Koo while Lim Lip Eng and Stella Ng appeared on behalf of Chow.
Speaking to reporters later, Lim said his client was grateful that the court ruled in his favour as it would help to clear his name and reputation. “My client went through a lot of hardship, financially and emotionally, during the hearing.
“His reputation also suffered as he lives in a small community in Benta. The case has been of such central interest in his hometown that even bookies have placed bets, against him,’’ Lim added.
Lim also said his client was mulling the possibility of appealing against the amount accorded by the court which was deemed compared to the suffering he had endured.
In the defamation suit, the girl’s father and the medium had also applied for an injunction to restrain the defendants from further publishing such words.
The plaintiffs contended that the news articles damaged their integrity.
