Errors in my police statement, says man accused of killing mum
Third day of trial of man charged for killing his mum
He did not deny stabbing his mother, 56-year-old Mallika Jesudasan.
But Sujay Solomon Sutherson, who is standing trial for culpable homicide, disputed some portions of his statement given to a Criminal Investigation Department officer.
He had pushed a knife into his mother's neck, from "right to left", according to the statement.
No, I stabbed my mother from the left, Sujay told the High Court on the third day of the trial yesterday.
He had gone into the kitchen and taken a third knife to slit Madam Mallika's throat.
"Again, I didn't take it (the knife) from the kitchen... It was in a drawer in my bedroom," said Sujay yesterday.
He had injuries like bite and scratch marks.
"I don't remember being injured at that time. I don't think I said this," he said.
Sujay, 34, who did not have a lawyer, was cross-examining Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Foo Jit Choon, who had recorded his statement at Police Cantonment Complex in a four-page statement.
DSP Foo was first informed of an incident on May 28, 2012 at 2.02am.
A few hours earlier, Sujay's uncle, Mr Daniel Jesudason, had found his sister's body concealed under Sujay's bed at the family's Bukit Batok East flat.
After a brief scuffle with his uncle, and later with the first police officers at the scene, Sujay, who has a history of mental illness, was arrested at his flat.
Sujay told one of the police officers at the flat that he had stabbed his mother in self-defence during a quarrel.
DSP Foo took over custody of the accused at 4.10am and handed him over to lock-up personnel at Police Cantonment Complex. She interviewed the accused at 4.20am and began recording his statement.
KNIVES
Yesterday morning, three knives, all coated with dried blood, were shown to the court.
One of them, which had a blue handle, was believed to have been embedded in Madam Mallika's neck.
In response to Sujay's remarks, DSP Foo said she had simply written what he had told her.
She explained the process to the court: When she finished recording Sujay's statement, she read it to the accused in English. Sujay was later required to acknowledge he had read it too by putting his signature on the statement.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kumaresan Gohulabalan had asked DSP Foo whose handwriting and signatures had appeared on the statement.
DSP Foo verified it was her handwriting and that the signatures belonged to the accused and her.
Again, I didn't take it (the knife) from the kitchen... It was in a drawer in my own bedroom.
- Sujay Solomon Sutherson
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
