Kallang slashings: Defence lawyer calls prosecution witness' evidence lies

Your evidence is a lie. You are not telling the truth in this court.

That was what a defence lawyer said on Wednesday to 23-year-old Hairee Landak, a key prosecution witness in the 2010 Kallang slashing case.

He is doing time for his role in the rampage.

Fellow Sarawakian Micheal Garing, 25, and Tony Imba, 34, are on trial for murder. A third alleged accomplice, Donny Meluda, is still at large.

During his cross-examination, one of Micheal's lawyers, Mr Ramesh Tiwary, highlighted discrepancies between Hairee's court testimonies and the statements he had earlier given the police.

WAS VICTIM CYCLING OR SITTING DOWN?

In his statement on June 2, 2010, Hairee said that the murder victim, Mr Shanmuganathan Dillidurai, 41, was sitting on the pavement and talking on his mobile phone when he was attacked on May 30, 2010.

But he told the court on Tuesday that the Indian national was riding a bicycle.

When Mr Tiwary grilled him on Wednesday, Hairee said that the police statement was wrong.

WHAT DID TONY DO?

When Hairee pleaded guilty to three charges of armed robbery with hurt in January, he accepted the statement of facts stating that he saw Tony kicking Mr Shanmuganathan to the ground.

However, in his court testimony, he said that Tony only elbowed the Indian national and that he did not see him kick Mr Shanmuganathan.

Hairee told the court on Wednesday that he accepted the statement of facts as "it was convenient at that point in time".

DID HAIREE KICK THE VICTIM?

The statement of facts which Hairee accepted also stated that he punched and kicked Mr Shanmuganathan.

In his court testimony, he said he only punched the man.

When queried, he admitted that he accepted the statement of facts out of convenience.

WHO DRAGGED THE VICTIM?

In another police statement on June 4, 2010, Hairee said that either Tony or Micheal dragged Mr Shanmuganathan to a grass verge before attacking him with a parang.

But he told the court that only Tony did so. When Mr Tiwary questioned the discrepancy, Hairee replied: "I forgot."

DID THEY ARGUE AFTER THE ATTACK?

Hairee said in the same statement that he and his three alleged accomplices did not utter a word to one another after the fatal attack and that they talked only after they reached a friend's home at Syed Alwi Road in Little India.

But he told the court on Tuesday that he overheard Tony and Micheal arguing while walking there. Mr Tiwary stressed that Hairee made no mention of this quarrel in the statement.

Hairee said that he was unsure why he omitted this in his statement.

DID DONNY SEARCH THE VICTIM'S BELONGINGS?

Hairee said in a statement on Sept 6 this year that he saw all three men going through Mr Shanmuganathan's belongings after he was attacked.

In his court testimony, however, he said that he could not remember if Donny had joined the others in doing so.

WHEN DID HAIREE LAST SEE THE PARANG?

In the same statement, he told the police that following the attack, Micheal took out the parang when they reached their friend's home at Syed Alwi Road.

But he said on Tuesday that he did not see the parang again after the attack.

Mr Tiwary said: "Hairee gave various versions of the event that affect credibility".

ABOUT THE CASE

Sarawakians Micheal Garing, 25, and Tony Imba, 34, were allegedly involved in a violent rampage in May 2010 that left a man dead and another three injured.

They are accused of murdering Indian national Shanmuganathan Dillidurai, 41, sometime between 12.13am and 7.34am at an open field near Kallang Road on May 30.

They are also accused of robbing and assaulting Mr Ang Jun Heng, 22; Mr Sandeep Singh, 27; and Mr Egan Karuppaiah, 42, shortly before that.

Former cleaner Hairee Landak, 23, was sentenced to 33 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane in January.

He pleaded guilty to three charges of armed robbery with hurt.

The murder trial continues on Thursday.

If convicted, the accused can get the death sentence or life imprisonment.

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