It had been days since 45-year-old AR was last seen and heard by his family. On 25 January 2009, they received a call from the police informing that AR had died in his cell. It was only then that they found out about AR’s arrest for theft four days before the phonecall. His distraught family was left in shock. How did he die? That was the very question that AR’s family was so desperately seeking the answer to.

What parents aren’t worried about their kids mixing with the wrong crowd, getting into drugs, committing crimes. All parents are. But, getting killed, here in peaceful Brunei, while in the hands of the police even, is far beyond anything they could imagine to happen to their children.

On 28 January 2009, AR was buried at a Muslim cemetery in Kiulap. It is not known what else the police had said to AR’s family during the call other than informing about AR’s death and for the family to claim the body. But, one thing for sure, AR’s family was not willing to accept the death as an unfortunate case of a sudden death.

An autopsy was actually done on the deceased before the body was claimed and buried. At that point, the public was not yet aware of the death in custody incident. There was no pressure to reveal to the public on the findings of the autopsy. Furthermore, when the autopsy was done, the allegation of police brutality had not surfaced yet. So, obviously the medical examiner who did the autopsy was seeking to find out what natural causes that led to the sudden death, and not specifically looking for any sign of foul play.

According to a source, the autopsy report concluded that AR’s underlying health conditions would have likely contributed to his death, thus it was ruled a natural death. But, it was alleged that the autopsy also noted that there were bruises on AR’s body. Hmmm….well well well….

While acknowledging that AR indeed had some health issues, his family suspected that police were not forthcoming with the details about what actually happened that led up to his death, believing that there was foul play involved, hence the mysterious bruises on his body. Where does one report to such suspicion of crime when the alleged perpetrators are supposedly crime busters themselves? This is 2009 we are talking about, there was no WhatsApp, no social media, no viral phenomenon yet. So, the family went to the press.

On 29 January 2009, AR’s story was on the front page of the local newspaper with the headline “Police help sought on death in detention”. The article mentioned that AR’s family still don’t know the cause of AR’s death and thus sought police help to ascertain the cause. The public was shocked, outraged, they too now wanted answers. The police was faced with a major PR disaster. The same day, the police conducted a press briefing  announcing that “a thorough investigation is being done”. According to the police “On January 25th the deceased was found unconscious in the police cell by officers making their rounds in the detention cell. The medical services were immediately alerted to give assistance but he was pronounced dead at the scene” No cause of death was informed during the briefing with the police saying that they “are waiting to confirm the cause of death from the pathologist.” Wait, what?? It turned out that a pathologist from Singapore was enlisted to assist in producing a second post-mortem report. But, does it mean that AR’s body already buried on 28 January 2009 was exhumed??

During the press briefing, the police also announced that “so far there is no indication of any foul play.” Hellooo….What explains the bruises then??

On 02 February 2009, 04 police officers were brought before the court facing charges of manslaughter and grievous hurt over AR’s death – One police inspector, one L/Cpl and two PCs. Here was where more details came to light. The first charge of manslaughter alleged that sometime between 8.08pm and 0905pm, January 22^nd 2009, they allegedly committed culpable homicide not amounting to murder of AR. The second charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt for trying to extort a confession from AR. When arguing against the planned bail application, the DPP highlighted the likelihood that the defendants would temper with evidence referring to “some items” relevant to the prosecution that were yet to be recovered. Hmmm….what could that “some items” be?? Sounds to me like there were implements involved. With no cctv in the interrogation room, recovering those “items” could be critical as physical evidence for this otherwise circumstantial case.

On 09 February 2009, the four police officers made bail. They then appeared before the Magistrate’s court for further mention a couple of times (16 February 2009, 16 March 2009) before moving to the High Court for hearing on 30 March 2009. During the hearing no plea was taken from the defendants. The High Court adjourned the case due to the defendants defence counsel needing more time and several related documents. Throughout this, no further information about the case was divulged, nothing on the “items” as well. As the trial dragged on, it was clear that the prosecutor had a tough case to win, without the needed physical evidence. All they had was the testimony of AR’s accomplice in the theft that he was detained for, who claimed that he was there and saw the four police officers beating the crap out of AR (some brutal kicks and punches). The judge found the witness unreliable. In the end, in April 2011, the four police officers were acquitted of the charge and walked free, leaving AR’s family disappointed. 

So, what really happened in the interrogation room. Since there was no CCTV, only the four police officers knew what went down. It is not uncommon for detectives to yell, intimidate, make threats when interrogating suspects, as part of the good cop/bad cop tactic. Thats how they got information or confessions. We saw this on TV all the time. But, given the bruises on AR’s body, it looked like one, more or all of them got carried away. Some roughing up could be involved. Sure, if it led to AR’s death, it was not intentional, thus culpable homicide. Without strong physical evidence, it took a lot of good conscience for them to own up and admit that they messed up. Pleading guilty to culpable homicide would not only mean that they would be fired from the police force, they would also be put in jail joining the criminals that they helped put away. It was a grim scenario, perhaps why they said no thanks to good conscience. 

Brunei is a fairly safe country. The people are timid, crime rate is low. So, when Sajariah left her home town of Sumbawa for Brunei in January 2019 to work as a domestic helper, no one expected that she would come home in a casket, a victim of crime.

The crime scene was so bloody and gruesome. The murder bore the classic sign of a crime of passion, so epic as though something straight out of a true crime TV series. 

Her dead body was not found at a public place, not at a park, not by the roadside, not at a dark alley. Her body was found where she was murdered, the very house where she worked at STKRJ Kg Mumong. Why the picture of her bloody dead body made its way to social media is beyond me. It was a total disrespect to the deceased, her family and loved ones.

But, now that the graphic image is out in the open, it would, in some way, help Sajariah’s family get answers to her death. For one thing, the stab wounds on the neck and face definitely indicated that it was not a natural death. The pool of blood under her body showed that she was attacked right there indicating her employer’s house as the primary crime scene or the death scene. Most significantly, the multiple stab wounds and the blood bath indicated hatred or rage on the part of the attacker, throwing the excuse of “self-defense” or “burglary went wrong” out of the window. It was definitely something personal. 

Her employers, a Malay couple, have been arrested the same day of the murder. The case is still ongoing and if found guilty, they could face the death penalty. But, I have been disturbed by the many past murder cases where the defendants just convicted with culpable homicide meaning someone died, and the killers just got four to six years (wtf!!). Nobody got the right to take someone’s life, whether premeditated or not, whether they are insane or not, regardless how evil and deserving they thought the victim was, and to be handed down just 6 years jail sentence for murdering someone, there is no deterrent effect at all, in fact sending the wrong message to would-be killers to just go on and kill, you’ll be out in no time. 

The Royal Brunei Police Force will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Wow! I can’t think of any other entity in the country which is older than that. I hope to see a cold case unit to be set up to chase after the murderers and criminals who got away and finally give the victims’ families the closure they deserve. They are long overdue.

As we begin 2021, here is a recap of crimes development in 2020 in alphabetical order.

A – Animal Cruelty. On 07 April 2020, an 80-year-old local man was charged with animal cruelty after videos of him bludgeoning seven puppies to death went viral on social media. The killing occurred on 31 March 2020 near a house in Kg Sungai Orok. The old man was later discharged “not amounting to an acquittal” following a psychologist report which stated that the old man is suffering from memory lapses and a deficit in reasoning faculties. I hate people who hurt animals.

B – Bridge User Dumping Garbage. In May 2020, a woman was caught on CCTV stopping her car along the Temburong bridge and dumping bags of rubbish into the water. The video went viral on social media. It was later announced that appropriate action had been taken on the woman, although no details followed on what was the “action”. I am more curious about what were in the garbage bags.

C – Car Racing. On 26 January 2020, seven people, all aged in the early 20s, were detained for illegal car racing. The racing took place along the road near the Tutong District Civic Centre Complex. They were issued fines and ordered to restore their vehicles according to the original specifications. The licenses of two of the vehicles involved in the race were also revoked. It they can afford to do modification to their cars and place bets on car races, the fines are nothing to them.

D – Daughters Abuse. On 21 October 2020, a 42-year-old local man was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment and seven whippings for abusing his two daughters. The abuse began in 2018. He was arrested after one of the daughters reported the abuse to her schoolteacher. Child abuse is one of the most common crimes in the country with the number of annual cases increasing over the years. Sad.

E – Escaped Murder Charge. In June and October 2020, three of the four suspects in the January 2017 murder of a man in Kuala Lurah escaped murder charge when they were convicted with just culpable homicide. The night of the murder, the three joined the assault team armed with weapons, lying and wait. They knew that someone will be killed, that someone’s dad, brother, son, husband will not be coming home that day. And they each just got 4 years jail sentence. Their jail term were to be backdated from the day they were first remanded, meaning they will be out soon in March 2021. Speechless….

F – Forged IC Syndicate. In September 2020, seven locals, all in their 20s, were detained under the ISA for their involvement in a syndicate for forged Brunei Darussalam’s ICs. They were planning to sell the forged ICs for $5k each. They also falsified official documents to procure bank loans from local financial institutions. Those smart assess got total disregard for the implication of what they were doing to the security of the country, all just for the money. It served them right to be arrested under the ISA. What a disgrace.

G – Gambling. One vice that is not affected by the pandemic is gambling, with ambushes by the police almost every month. 4 Digit lottery, katam-katam, mahjong, SCR 888, kolok-kolok, Sam Cheong, Pusoy, you name it. Oya, and cockfighting too. The activity could take place anywhere and since no one would get harmed from it (except their bank accounts), no random ambushes would stop the gamblers. 

H – Hotel Wild Party. On 5 April 2020, police personnel responded to complaints of loud music from a room on the fourth floor of the Aman Hills Hotel and uncovered 15 men and 5 women, aged between 16 to 27 having a late-night drunken party in the smoke-filled room. The irony here is that they were partying at a time when the Covid-19 mass gathering restriction order was in place. To make matters worse, in the midst of the havoc, four had attempted to escape by climbing down from the balcony to the third floor, towards the room of a person undergoing self-isolation. 

I – Infant Abandoned. On 01 January 2020, a newborn baby was found in a box at an electric sub-station on the Muara-Tutong Highway, The baby was immediately placed in the ICU but didn’t make it and passed away 27 days later. Baby dumping is not uncommon in Brunei with cases almost every year, at some point reaching 6 cases in a year. These baby dumpers should be put in the ring with the puppy killer and let them fight each other to death for the scum of the earth title.

J – Jewelry Heist. On 12 December 2020, two men, armed with a machete and a hammer, barged into a goldsmith in Kampong Tanjung Bunut commercial area, broke the glass display and helped themselves with nine gold necklaces. Both were later arrested. There have been robberies on jewelry shops before in the country, but this is the first time that the act involved weapons. It also happened during pandemic time, where the sight of people wearing masks at the vicinity of jewelry stores and banks are not suspicious. While a number of people quickly linked the robbery to drugs and unemployment, I think those two idiots just wanted to deliberately go back to living in jail. Both are career thieves, been in and out of jail many times. The police are extremely familiar with them, and with their masks just covering their mouths and exposing their eyes and their noses, not wearing gloves and all, it was a total giveaway. And why not use weapons this time to secure a longer stay at prisonville.  

K – Knives Everywhere. In the past three years, we are beginning to see knives-wielding criminals more and more in the country including a number of them in 2020. On 15 January, a 39-year-old local man used a knife to obtain by force a sling bag from a 71-year-old senior citizen at a commercial building in Kampong Sungai Liang. On 04 March 2020, a Malaysian man threatened a woman at a house in Kampong Lambak Kiri by pointing a knife to her throat after the woman rejected his love. On 20 March 2020, a Philippine national went to his girlfriend’s workplace at a healthcare centre in Serusop, holding a knife, pulling her hand and forcing her to go home. On 29 May 2020, a 35-year-old local man offered a foreign national, who was waiting for a bus at a bus stop in Panaga, for a ride, to which the foreign man agreed. In the car, the man took out a knife and forced the victim to pay him $20 for the ride  or surrender his phone. On 29 November 2020, a 30-year-old local man pulled a knife on the cashier of convenience shop in Jalan Pasir Berakas, asking him to hand over proceeds of the shop.

L – Livestock Theft – In 2019, we saw fruits like mangoes and durians being victims of thefts. In 2020, it was the livestock turn to be snatched. On 28 May 2020, a 39-year-old man stole a goat from an enclosure at Jalan Singa Menteri in Kuala Belait. The police recovered the goat from a shop in Seria, where the man had sold it for $140.  

M – Maid Murder – Cases with housemaids are not all that bizarre here in Brunei. In the 1990s, at the Tutong District, a mentally unstable housemaid murdered her employer’s toddler. In 2014, also at the Tutong District, a foreign housemaid attacked and injured her employer with a knife. Cases of housemaids stealing from their employers are not uncommon, including one high profile armed robbery on a Pehin’s house, (or should I say…mansion), masterminded by the Pehin’s maid herself. Maids as victims are also not uncommon here with a number of high profile maid abuse cases. But, a maid being murdered? never happened before, that was until October 2020 when a photo of the dead body of an Indonesian maid in a pool of blood went viral on social media. She was allegedly murdered by her psycho employers at their house in STKRJ, Kg Mumong. The case is still ongoing. I sure hope the police did not mess up the evidence or contaminate the crime scene. For people who have been following past cases defended by the psycho couple’s lawyer, they should know what my concern is.

N – Narco Empire. At last, in 2020, a narco-selling empire, which existed for so long, was obliterated. Dubbed the Musang King operation, the NCB on 10 September 2020 raided three separate houses in Jalan Junjungan, Kampong Limau Manis and rounded up 13 locals suspected of being involved in drugs trafficking activities, comprising nine men and four women aged between 18-59 years. More than 19kgs of drugs believed to be Class ‘A’ drug – Syabu, estimated to have a market value of BND3,700,000 were confiscated, in what become the NCB’s largest haul ever. More and more arrests followed as the members of the drugs ring fell like dominos. 

O – Obnoxious Local Kevins. On 04 April 2020, a 44-year-old man who was undergoing quarantine at the Sports Village had purposely removed his facemark and coughed in front of frontliners. Then on 03 May 2020, he threateningly waved a pocket knife to an MOH staff also at the Sports Village. In another case, on 17 June 2020, a 32-year-old local man, one of the vendors at the Gadong night market, slapped and punched two Bangladeshi cleaners at the market for failing to give him cigarettes and money that he had randomly asked from them. Upon given a warning by police personnel patrolling the market, the man then sent an audio recording through WhatsApp containing intimidation to one of the policemen. What an idiot. He was sentenced to 26 months’ imprisonment.

P – Prostitution. I was wrong to think that prostitution would be on a hiatus with the pandemic travel restriction. While Vietnamese prostitutes couldn’t enter Brunei after the imposition of travel restriction in March 2020, stranded Vietnamese prostitutes who were already here before the travel restriction got a pleasant extension of their “residency”. Ambushes at a number of hotels in May, June and July 2020, resulted in the detention of 04 Vietnamese prostitutes. The year 2020 also saw another “milestone” in the, should I say localisation effort, with the uncovering of another local prostitute. The 35-year-old local woman was caught providing the service at a rest house in Serusop in May 2020. 

Q – Quarantine Escapers. Other countries asked us how did we do it, how did Brunei manage to get all its people to listen and adhere to the Covid-19 regulations. Well, things were not as perfect as people thought. In March 2020, a local was arrested for escaping quarantine. In August 2020, 04 Malaysians who were apprehended at Kuala Lurah for entering Brunei illegally, had escaped from the Games Village where they were supposed to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine. They just walked out the back gate. They were later arrested by the Malaysian police who handed them back to the Brunei Police. Great escape artists or bad security lax?   

R – Rock-Throwing Fun-Seeking Man. He is not insane, he was just bored. On 14 November 2020, a 51-year-old man who apparently hates car windows, picked up a rock and threw it at a passing car. He did the same thing again on 25 November 2020 to another passing car. The windows of both cars were shattered. Luckily none of the drivers and passengers was hurt, although they were left shaken. He was arrested and sentenced to two years imprisonment. When asked why he did it, the man said, “I don’t understand”, “just for fun” and “I don’t know”. But, why even bother asking him his motive when he actually just got out of prison from an 08 months jail sentence for, yep…you guessed it, for throwing a rock at a passing car. 

S – Suicide Attempt. Like in any other countries, attempting suicide is a crime. And like in any other countries as well, bridges are one of suicide hotspots. So when the fancy Temburong Bridge was opened in 2020, I thought it would be a matter of time before someone uses it to attempt suicide. But, on 03 September 2020, the smaller and shorter RIPAS bridge beat the SOAS bridge to it when a 30-year-old local man was allegedly trying to jump off the bridge in a suicide attempt. I said allegedly because it was later revealed that the man was just sitting on the edge of the bridge likely just letting off steam over a personal issue and concerned passersby assumed that he wanted to jump off the bridge. He was fined $1,500 for a charge of causing public nuisance. 

T – Toilet Filmmaker. In October 2020, a 21-year-old local man was sentenced to 18-month imprisonment for letting his d1ck got the better of him. He was at his friend’s house on 02 October 2021 when he saw the friend’s sister going into the bathroom, took his phone out, and from the gap under the door, started filming. The following day, he went to the friend’s house again and captured some more bathroom action, this time he raised his phone to film from a small vision lite above the bathroom door. The day after that, he went there yet again. Some people just don’t know how to quit while they are ahead. But third time not a charmer for him as the lady in the bathroom saw his hand holding the mobile phone as he was filming through the vision lite. Well, the rest is history.  

U – Undergarment Theft – Some people steal for the thrill, some people steal due to financial distress, but for this thief, he stole to feed his fetishism, yep! for ladies undergarments specifically bras. In April 2020, a 27 year-old local was caught in action while busy nabbing some undergarments from a clothesline at the backyard of a house in Kg Pandan 1 Kuala Belait. With the arrest, the mystery of missing undergarments in the area was finally unravelled when police found the stolen items in his possession. Undergarment theft is not a new crime in the country as there have been similar arrests before (lets just say enough to start a support group for their common fetishism). So ladies, just hang dry your bras and panties inside.  

….

Ever wondered whatever happened to the boys and girls from your primary school? The girl who sat next to you in class, the boy who was slightly taller for his age, the smart girl who always came first, the teacher’s pet, the loud boys. I don’t know if anyone keeps track. Despite Brunei being small and all, I never bumped into anyone of them. Oh wait, I did encounter one, she’s working at the library in our ministry, I just said hey and she said hey back and that was it.

Osman was sitting alone in a restaurant one morning, sipping on his teh tarik. He stared far off into the distance, in deep thought. He can’t get his mind off what he was told recently, about what had happened to one of his primary schoolmates, O.B. It was so epic, almost too hard to believe.

Osman went to Sekolah Melayu Kiulap back in the early 70s. O.B was his classmate from Darjah 1 to Darjah 4. Osman remembered O.B as a smart boy, well-behaved, the type that parents and teachers believed was destined to do great things in life. Thus why Osman finds the recent news about O.B all too hard to fathom. What could possibly disrupt his path to greatness and at which point did he make the detour and do a complete 180.

After Darjah 4, O.B expectedly aced the qualifying test and was selected for admission to the Arabic School (Sekolah Arab), leaving Osman and his other primary school classmates behind. O.B’s last day at the Sekolah Melayu Kiulap would be the last time that Osman would see or hear from him.

Sekolah Arab is a boarding school, meaning at the tender age of 10, the little boys and girls are plucked out of their parents’ supervision and normal family life. Their parents may not even realise the life altering impact that separation would bring to their children. Perhaps, when O.B entered the Arabic School, that was the point when his journey to greatness went off rail.

By the time O.B was 18, he had lost interest in education, flunked his exams, dropped out of school, became anti-social. The teenager who returned home was not the same person whom his parents were so proud of eight years before. What they got was a complete stranger. The smart little O.B had literally left the building.

It seemed like O.B had no interest to continue his education. He would stay out all night and would only come home at wee hours. Sometimes he didn’t come home at all. His parents could only watch helplessly as O.B wasted his life. They had no idea where O.B went to, what he was doing, and who he hanged out with every night. Every day, they prayed that O.B would stay out of vice.

Then came one day, every parent’s worst nightmare, the police came to their house looking for O.B., 19 at that time, who was wanted in connection to a sexual assault on a woman. O.B wasn’t in his room at that time, but he was caught later after a brief manhunt.

The teenage school girl he sexually assaulted was an acquaintance of his. They were in the same group of wild teens who went party-hopping together. But that didn’t mean that the girl wanted to get it on with him. One day, at wee hours, after a night of partying, they stopped at Tungku beach where O.B proceeded to force his way on the girl. O.B went home that night thinking that the girl would just let it go. Days went by and O.B was sure that he got away with it, that was until….the girl was found dead by her parents. She had committed suicide by drinking gramoxone (weed killer) leaving a note about how she was raped by O.B. Her parents went straight to the police which led to O.B’s arrest.

O.B was sentenced to 8 years in jail for the crime. His parents were in shock but at the same time relieved that instead of having to wonder every day, they could know exactly where O.B would be – in the slammer. O.B would only serve 6 years of that jail term, released early for some reason.

Living back in the community, what could a school drop out, ex convict do? Nothing. And that was exactly what O.B was doing after he was released from prison – Nothing. There was also no pressure for O.B to find employment, as his parents and siblings supported him financially, they were more eager to catch up on lost time.  Now, what could a school drop out, ex convict, with steady pocket money do? He used the money to buy drugs. And yeah…lets throw in some gambling in there as well.

One September night in 2020, O.B was in a house at Kg Lorong Dalam in the water village, playing the game of Katam-Katam (gambling). In the middle of it, he received a text from his contact informing that a big raid, the mother of all raids, was going down that night. Seconds later, he heard some commotion outside. Thinking that the police could burst in anytime, O.B panicked, went straight to the window and jumped out. It is not known whether he was well aware or he forgot that he was at Kg Ayer, meaning he had jumped down into the water. When he landed, in pitch darkness, he felt something seared through his left thigh. Ouch!

O.B let out a blood curdling scream as the pain was so excruciating. He knew his leg was bleeding profusely and that he could pass out anytime. Adding to his agony, he felt the water around him swooshed and saw something moving. A crocodile! O.B mustered all his remaining strength and yelled as loud as he could, tolooooong! (helllllpppp!). Then, he blacked out.

O.B woke up on a hospital bed with his parents and siblings around him. He turned his head to the left, to check if his whole left hand and all the fingers were intact. Then he turned right to check the other hand. Then he nervously glanced down to check his feet. He took a long sigh of relief to see that his two feet are still there.

Fortunately for O.B, there were some people who heard his yell for help that night. They were onlookers who formed a crowd at the area, curious about the commotion that was going on. It turned out that it was the house next door that was raided that night. It was the Musang King Operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau.

There are a number of possible reasons as to why battered wives didn’t choose to leave their abusive husbands. Some stayed in the hope that their husbands will change. Some don’t want to see their children grow up without a father. Some fear that their husbands will hunt them down and kill them or harm their kids or loved ones. Some had their self-worth reduced to zero that they thought they won’t survive out there without their husbands. For some, getting a divorce is out of the question, whether due to religion or pride. It is not known which one of these was the reason why 46-year-old G didn’t leave her abusive husband, instead chose to endure years of  physical abuse by him, only to snap in 2001 after 10 children and 19 years of marriage.

On 18 April 2001, G’s 43-year-old husband fell extremely ill and was rushed to the hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the ICU on 08 May 2001 where he eventually succumbed to his illness 5 days later.

What a bummer for G. But she had no time to dwell much on the loss because after 19 years the now unemployed widow got 10 children to feed and take care of. That is such a big feat. The assurance of support from her family gave her some comfort that she could do it.

G was ready to pick up the pieces and move on. But na-ah, not so fast. Hospital staff were bugged by the way G’s husband died, sensing that something was off. An autopsy was done on the deceased and it was stated in the report that he had died due to renal / respiratory failure, and their suspicion was confirmed, the deceased was poisoned.

Well, like in any other murder cases, the police will first look at 3 persons – the spouse / significant other, the last person who saw the victim alive and the person who found the body. In this case, all 3 pointed to the same person – the supposedly grieving wife, G.

G was brought in for interrogation where she immediately confessed. G told about the years of physical abuse she endured in the hands of her alcoholic husband. He would beat, strangle and burn G with a lighted cigarette. He had also stabbed her on the neck with a Keris (traditional dagger). The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when the husband began to beat up their children. It was at that point that G became determined that the abuse needed to stop. Good for her for finally taking a stand, but if only she had chosen a less criminal way to achieve that.

The plan to poison her husband was set in motion on 14 April 2001, when G instructed her 14-year-old son to get rat poison that would be mixed into her husband’s alcoholic drink. According to G, the poison was meant to get her husband sick and not meant to kill him. Well lady, the skull and crossbones symbol on poison bottles is there for a reason – poison kills people.

On 18 April 2001, the son informed G that he could not find rat poison but was able to find weed killer. By this time, G got a lot of time to change her mind, but no, they proceeded to mix the poison into the alcoholic drink bottles and tucked the bottles neatly back into the cabinet. It would be hours before her husband would get home from work but still G and the son didn’t entertain any second thought about their plan.

In the evening, the husband came back from work and went straight to the cabinet to take out the alcohol drink. G just watched as her husband consumed the poison. He did mention to G that the alcohol tasted different but continued drinking.

After her confession, G was ordered to undergo mental evaluation. Eventhough she pleaded guilty, being assessed as having an unsound mind would help take out some years in her jail sentence. She also underwent medical examination where she was found to have some injuries on her body which substantiated her allegation of physical abuse.

On her allegation that her husband had also abused her children, medical checks on them didn’t find any injuries or marks. However, the police had uncovered a report, made by a social worker at the Lamunin Police Station on 20 May 1999, saying that G’s 14-year-old daughter was found to have been physically abused. Although this report was later retracted by G, it provided some indication on the likelihood that the husband did physically abuse their children as well.

On 04 September 2001, G pleaded guilty to an amended charge of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder and was sentenced to 3 years in jail. Don’t try to adjust your screen, yep it is really 3 you’re seeing.