MOTHER of late David Morton Sireheti Saemala (23), who died in police custody at the Central Police Station Watch House Cell on Monday 27th June, is seeking justice for his son.
In a letter to media yesterday, May Saemala said she was not convinced by the statement by the Prime Minister to the Nation – to trust armed cops.
“I had visited the site where my son was arrested on Friday 24th June, 2016 and advised mothers of young boys were seen in that location every day to please warn their sons.
“I know it is very difficult to advise our sons because of peer group and influence, but the death of my son urges all mothers to start doing something to bring their sons home because their lives may be at risk,” she said.
Mrs Saemala said the body of her dead son was not treated with dignity by police.
“The unidentified body was driven by a police vehicle and was seen by a close relative (female).
“The unidentified body was placed in a body bag (zipped) and left outside on the bed at the entrance of the morgue.
“Later on during the day, my brothers heard rumours that my son David had died and laid in the morgue at the Central Hospital.
“They rushed to identify the body and confirmed the person as my son David,” she said.
Mrs Saemala questioned why the body was not respected and was left in a body bag outside the morgue by police.
“Why did they leave it outside the morgue instead to giving it to doctors at the Emergency for proper examination and certification of the death?
“Why was it left outside without the knowledge of the morgue manager? It is a painful thought.
Police Commissioner Frank Prendergast at the weekly police conference last week, told the media, that they are still waiting for the results of the post mortem from Australia.
Prendergast said investigations are still ongoing and they are waiting for the results.
“I cannot give a date as to when the result will be available as it is a matter for the pathologists.
“The post mortem is independent off the police and so it is a matter for the medical examiner. So we will wait for the report to be finalised and then we will prepare a brief,” he said.
Mr Prendergast said the doctor who did the post mortem would need to consider the result and make his findings.
“And so until that happens, we cannot finalise the investigations yet.”
He said as previously promised, once they get that result, a brief will be prepared for the hearing under the Death and Fire Inquiry Act.
Section 4 of this Act under the heading Death in Prison reads, “an inquiry shall be held by a Magistrate into the cause of all deaths in Solomon Islands of all persons confined in any prison or other place of lawful detention.”
The police chief further explained that the Death and Fire Inquiry Act is really for the court to look into circumstances around which in this case is a death.
“They will hold an open inquiry and the magistrate can inquire into what was the cause and circumstances of the death so in normal event police are required to submit a brief of evidence or report.
“People can be called into that hearing to answer questions.
“It is an independent inquiry of the police.
“That Act has been in existence for a long time and it seems to fall into a bit of issues but there is an intention to revive it.
He said the Act enables a magistrate to hold an inquiry, and the process so everyone understands is we will conduct our own investigations, submit a brief including the post mortem material to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who then work with the court to have a hearing conducted.
Samples of a first post mortem done on the young deceased here were sent to Australia to verify certain aspects of the results.
By EDDIE OSIFELO