KUALA LUMPUR — The family of Malaysian-born Australian resident Annapuranee Jenkins intends to “dig their heels in” further on their negligence claims against Malaysian authorities, following damning findings detailed in an Australian forensic analysis report.
Recently, it was reported that a forensic analysis carried out by Forensic Science South Australia discovered that Annapuranee, also known as Anna, suffered blunt force trauma with a “penetrating component” to her head, leg and finger.
Speaking to Scoop, Annapuranee’s son Greg Steven Jenkins said that he believes the latest finding adds more weight and evidence to claims of negligence issued by the victim’s family to Malaysian authorities in charge of investigating the alleged kidnapping and murder.
He noted that he will be conferring with the family’s legal representatives to add in the forensic analysis report into the family’s ongoing lawsuit against the Malaysian police and government as well as their revision to the open verdict rendered by the Penang Coroner’s Court.
“We’re not trying to embarrass the Malaysian police force or the government. We’re just trying to change the way things are done in Malaysia. No family should have to be put through all the injustice we’ve had to deal with.
“Hopefully, some sort of reform should come out of Mum’s (Annapuranee) death so she doesn’t become just another statistic,” he added.
He also said that the family will not be backing away from the matter anytime soon, stressing that those responsible for his mother’s death after she went missing in 2017 should be held accountable.
“We’ve been screaming out that there was foul play involved in Mum’s death, but we have been continuously ignored by Malaysian police. During the inquest, the marks on (Annapuranee’s) remains were addressed but it was stated that they were not detailed in any report.
“The question that has to be asked is what are they (police) hiding?” he questioned.
On June 29, Greg had filed a writ of summons at the Kuala Lumpur High Court here to seek damages from the police and Malaysian government over its allegedly negligent acts during the investigation into his mothers’ death.
This came after the coroner’s court had on May 12 delivered an open verdict into Annapuranee’s sudden death, with coroner Norsalha Hamzah saying that the lengthy inquest failed to establish a conclusive outcome to the case.
Greg had subsequently filed a revision to the open court verdict rendered by the coroner court, reiterating claims about discrepancies in the investigation into her disappearance and death.
South Australian lawmaker Frank Pangallo had also labeled the inquest as a farce, asserting that the coronial sitting did not cover all bases of the case, such as having disallowed the family counsel to cross-examine the majority of witnesses summoned.
Annapuranee disappeared along Scotland Road in Georgetown, Penang in 2017 and despite the efforts of her family, she was never found.
On June 24, 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Annapuranee’s partial skeletal remains and some personal belongings were found at a construction site next to the Penang Turf Club, some 3km from Scotland Road. — August 16, 2023