School kid commits suicide after being grilled alone by cops for 3 hours over assault
- 8 years ago
YISHUN, SINGAPORE — The death of a 14-year old Singaporean schoolboy who committed suicide after being interrogated unaccompanied for more than three hours by police over an alleged assault has raised concern over police procedure in cases involving juveniles.
Benjamin Lim, a student at Northview Secondary School, jumped to his death on Tuesday from the 14th floor of the family's apartment in Yishun. His death came just hours after he was questioned by police over an alleged Monday incident in which an 11-year old girl was molested in the elevator of a public housing block.
The chain of events began on Tuesday morning when five plainclothes police officers showed up at the school to take Benjamin into custody.
Benjamin's mother then received a call from an officer using her son's mobile phone, telling her about the alleged assault. She spoke briefly to her son, who denied being involved, before the phone was taken away by the officer.
Over the next few hours, Benjamin's mother made repeated attempts to see or speak to her son. Each attempt rebuffed by the authorities, while she was even quizzed about his conduct and grades.
During this time, Benjamin was interrogated by police for more than three hours. The police called his mother to tell her that he had confessed to the assault, which had been captured on CCTV.
His mother's requests to view the footage were denied.
A visibly stunned Benjamin was released at around 2.50 p.m. and again denied any guilt to his mother as they waited for the subway train home.
Asked why he had confessed he answered, "I did not do it, but since everyone thinks that I did it, then I did it."
As police in Singapore are not currently required by law to record interviews, there is no footage of the interrogation. Parents or guardians are also not allowed to accompany minors who are being interviewed.
After returning home, a school counsellor called Benjamin's mother to suggest it was not appropriate for him to join a three-day camp that he had been looking forward to.
Sometime after being told the news, Benjamin quietly retreated to his room.
After using a key to enter his normally unlocked room, Benjamin's mother was surprised to discover he was not there. Then she noticed the open window, and the grim truth dawned on her.
Benjamin's body was found motionless on the ground 14 storeys below his bedroom window. He was cremated on Thursday.
Despite their grief, his family and friends are now asking whether his treatment at the hands of the authorities may have contributed to his life-ending decision.
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Benjamin Lim, a student at Northview Secondary School, jumped to his death on Tuesday from the 14th floor of the family's apartment in Yishun. His death came just hours after he was questioned by police over an alleged Monday incident in which an 11-year old girl was molested in the elevator of a public housing block.
The chain of events began on Tuesday morning when five plainclothes police officers showed up at the school to take Benjamin into custody.
Benjamin's mother then received a call from an officer using her son's mobile phone, telling her about the alleged assault. She spoke briefly to her son, who denied being involved, before the phone was taken away by the officer.
Over the next few hours, Benjamin's mother made repeated attempts to see or speak to her son. Each attempt rebuffed by the authorities, while she was even quizzed about his conduct and grades.
During this time, Benjamin was interrogated by police for more than three hours. The police called his mother to tell her that he had confessed to the assault, which had been captured on CCTV.
His mother's requests to view the footage were denied.
A visibly stunned Benjamin was released at around 2.50 p.m. and again denied any guilt to his mother as they waited for the subway train home.
Asked why he had confessed he answered, "I did not do it, but since everyone thinks that I did it, then I did it."
As police in Singapore are not currently required by law to record interviews, there is no footage of the interrogation. Parents or guardians are also not allowed to accompany minors who are being interviewed.
After returning home, a school counsellor called Benjamin's mother to suggest it was not appropriate for him to join a three-day camp that he had been looking forward to.
Sometime after being told the news, Benjamin quietly retreated to his room.
After using a key to enter his normally unlocked room, Benjamin's mother was surprised to discover he was not there. Then she noticed the open window, and the grim truth dawned on her.
Benjamin's body was found motionless on the ground 14 storeys below his bedroom window. He was cremated on Thursday.
Despite their grief, his family and friends are now asking whether his treatment at the hands of the authorities may have contributed to his life-ending decision.
-------------------------------------------------------------
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Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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