Youngest son gives evidence in trial of Malaysian couple in Sweden

STOCKHOLM: The first witness in the trial of the Malaysian couple in Sweden who were alleged to have abused their children, was their youngest son, via a pre-recorded interview.

The video of Arif was part of the oral proof by the prosecution against Azizul Raheem Awalluddin, a Tourism Malaysia director in Stockholm, and his wife Shalwati Nurshal.

The Solna District court on Tuesday watched about 136 minutes of the Swedish police’s interview with Arif, which was recorded before the children were sent to Malaysia on Jan 31.

The eight-year-old appeared shy during the interview, speaking softly and rarely looking at the policewoman interviewing him.

Arif often said “it’s hard to explain” and “say again” when he appeared confused, prompting police to ask him the same questions repeatedly or in different ways.

At one point, when asked how speaking to the police about his parents made him feel, Arif simply answered “weird”, drawing a muted round of laughs from the gallery.

The police quizzed Arif about the alleged abuses against him and why his parents might have hit him.

Arif said his father had pinched him on the arms, while his mother had hit him with a hanger and a “stick with a knot at the end”.

Prosecutor Anna Arnell presented the “stick” to the court, revealing it was a rotan (whip), about one-half foot long. She also produced a carpet beater, another item alleged to have been used to hit the children.

“This is what one of the children called a rotan. In Malaysia it is a whip used to discipline children in school and at home,” explained Arnell, drawing looks of confusion and shock from people in the proceedings.

Johan Kallus, who represented Arif and his brother Ammar, told reporters that even if the children were still in Sweden, they would not testify live in court as they were minors.

The children’s legal representatives are claiming between Swedish Krona 50,000 to 98,000 (RM25,436 to RM45,855) for each child, in damages for emotional and physical trauma.

Shalwati’s lawyer, Kristofer Stahre, criticised the interview saying the questions were leading and prohibitive in the way the policewoman would repeatedly ask the same question until she got the answer she wanted.

“You shouldn’t ask leading questions to children. That is 101 when asking questions to anyone. If these questions were asked in court before a judge, I’m sure it would not have been allowed,” Stahre told reporters.

A court document obtained from the Malaysian Embassy in Sweden, stated that the prosecution had submitted some 26 hours of video interviews with the four Malaysian children.

On Feb 10, Shalwati and Azizul were charged with multiple counts of gross violation of a child’s integrity, for hitting and abusing their children.

The alleged offences took place in the family’s home in Spånga, a Stockholm suburb, between Sept 15, 2010 and Dec 17, 2013.

The trial continues Wednesday.