Suspect confesses to stabbing British nationals over slap during argument
The Malaysian Insider – 15 hours agoRELATED CONTENT
- Suspect confesses to stabbing British nationals over slap during argument
One of the suspected killers of the two British medical students, who were stabbed to death in Kuching early yesterday morning, said he was enraged after one of the Brits slapped him during a row that broke out between them in an all-night coffeeshop where they had been drinking, police sources said.
The source said the suspect and his three friends first tried to grab and assault Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger, both 22, who were on a six-week work placement at the Sarawak general hospital, but they managed to flee the coffeeshop.
The suspect and his friends then used their car to chase Dalton and Brunger and caught up with them 50 metres down the road as they were walking to their backpacker lodging house about 1km away, said the source.
What followed next in the 4.15am incident was related by a witness who told police one of the men alighted from the car holding what looked like a knife.
The witness said the man chased both the Brits, stabbing the first once, before chasing down the other and stabbing him a few times.
A key piece in the police’s efforts to investigating the crime and solving it in record time was the witness’ presence of mind to take down the registration number of the suspects’ car.
That information led to the arrests of three of the suspects within an hour of the crime being reported. The fourth was arrested at his home at around 4.45pm.
All the suspects, aged between 19 and 29, tested positive for methamphetamine.
The two Newcastle University medical students reportedly first drank at a pub in an area of the city called The Trevilion in Padungan.
When the pub closed, they adjourned to the coffeeshop about 1km away in the old part of the city to continue drinking.
It was here that the two fourth-year medical students and the four suspects got into an altercation after one of the suspects told them they were too noisy.
Police said during a press conference yesterday that the two British nationals were having an argument of their own at the time.
The post-mortem of the victims are expected to be conducted tomorrow after officals from the British High Commission have identified the bodies and completed the paperwork.
Officials from the High Commission's consular office in Kuching are conducting the identification because the students' next-of-kin are reportedly not coming to Kuching to accompany the remains home to the United Kingdom.
Two officials from Newcastle University will instead accompany the remains when they are repatriated back to the UK.
Dalton, from Belper, in Derbyshire, and Brunger, from Gillingham, in Kent, were on the work placement along with five other medical students from the same university.
The students, who arrived in June, were due to finish their training at the general hospital tomorrow.
This morning, some city folk placed wreaths and flowers at the spot where one of the students had died.
Senator Dr Sim Kui Hian, one of Asia's leading brain surgeons, said in his Facebook posting that the medical community in Sarawak was shocked at the news of the murder.
“Many medical students do their elective attachments, normally 2-6 weeks, all over the world.
“Twenty-five years ago, I did mine in Singapore,” the surgeon turned politician said. Sim is the secretary-general of the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP).
“Sarawak General Hospital over the years has been very popular with medical students from the UK and Australia because of the good teaching and friendliness of Kuching.
“It is more important than ever that the various authorities in Kuching immediately take steps to make Kuching a safe city, as expressed by YAB Tan Sri Adenan Satem, Chief Minister of Sarawak on 1 Aug 2014 during the Kuching Festival.
“Let's do it. Let's not find any excuse. Each one of us must do our part for Kuching to be a safe city.
“Our sincere condolences to the families of the two medical students.” – August 6, 2014.
