PSP ‘extremely shocked’ by policewoman’s involvement
A Southeast Asian maid jumped to her death from the bathroom transom window of a flat in Areia Preta district in April, and her two employers have told the Judiciary Police (PJ) that the victim committed suicide by jumping from the building as a result of stealing 60,000 patacas in “lai see” envelopes from them, but a PJ investigation showed that the duo, a male and his girlfriend, the latter a Public Security Police (PSP) officer, had tortured the victim mentally by tying her hands with plastic tape and questioning her about the theft for a long period of time before her death.
The incident happened at a high-rise flat in the La Marina residential estate on Rua Central da Areia Preta on April 29, when the Judiciary Police received a call from a resident informing them that their non-local domestic helper had “fallen” from their flat. The female employer told the police at that time that the victim had gone to the bathroom but had not come out after some time, so she called her but there was no response, adding that she then opened the door with the key and found that no one was in the bathroom, but the window was wide open.
The Judiciary Police held yesterday a special press conference about the case, during which PJ spokesman Chong Kam Leong said that according to the statements of the young female victim’s two employers about her death, the duo suspected that the victim had stolen a total of 60,000 patacas that was in red envelopes, generally known as “lai see” envelopes, from their home, but “downplayed” the suicide, adding: “The police further investigated and found another inside story”.
PJ Personal Offences Section Assistant Inspector General II Leong Kuok Hei said during the press conference: “The two suspects waited for [their domestic helper] to return home after they suspected her of stealing their ‘red envelope’ cash. When she returned to the flat, they immediately seized her passport and mobile phone and then searched her phone records. Starting at 11 p.m. that day, they questioned her until 2 a.m. the next day. She finally confessed to stealing their money. Preventing her from retrieving her mobile phone and passport, they tied her hands with plastic tape and left the flat with her passport.”
According to Leong, the female suspect returned to the flat and continued to interrogate the victim at about 5 a.m., “demanding a solution”. The victim once went to the bathroom and cut her hands to self-harm but was stopped by the female suspect, according to the investigation.
The two suspects kept “demanding an explanation” from the victim until 8 a.m., when she was no longer able to withstand the duo’s pressure, rushed into the bathroom again, locked the door, and jumped out of the transom window, Leong said, adding that when the two suspects opened the bathroom door, they found that the victim had “fallen” onto the terrace of the building.
Follow-up investigations showed, according to Leong, that the two suspects had concealed the truth behind the incident and, therefore, the Judiciary Police summoned and intercepted both at the Barrier Gate checkpoint and took them to the PJ headquarters for questioning on Wednesday, during which both refused to cooperate with the police, but there is, according to Leong, ample evidence and strong indications that both had deliberately concealed when the investigation was launched on the day of the suicide on April 29 that they had seized the victim’s identification documents and mobile phone, as well as tied her up to prevent her from leaving the flat.
The Judiciary Police have not revealed the nationality of the victim, only saying that she was from Southeast Asia and that they have notified her home country, which has requested that the police conduct a thorough investigation into the suicide.
According to Leong, the victim’s forensic examination showed that there were no injuries caused by assault or battery on her body and that the Judiciary Police believe that the victim committed suicide due to “unbearable pressure”.
The unmarried couple – a 36-year-old woman, surnamed Leong, who works for the Macau Public Security Police; and a 34-year-old man, surnamed Sit, who works as a tourist guide – were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, where they face charges of aggravated coercion, improper withholding of another person’s ID documents, and false imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the Public Security Police said in a statement yesterday that “this incident reflects a serious lack of legal awareness on the part of the officer concerned, who turned from victim into suspect of a crime. We are very saddened by this incident and the PSP will take this as a lesson to further enhance the legal training of their officers”, adding that the PSP were “extremely shocked” about the incident.
In the statement, the Public Security Police reaffirmed that it was “absolutely” unacceptable for police officers to flout the law and that disciplinary procedures had meanwhile been initiated to follow up on the case, while also taking precautionary suspension measures against the officer concerned, underlining that the PSP will deal with the incident “seriously” in accordance with the law, fully cooperating with the relevant follow-up criminal investigation.
The hooded local couple, suspected of aggravated coercion, improper withholding of ID documents and false imprisonment of a young Southeast Asian domestic helper, are escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a police vehicle in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Yuki Lei
