Likas rep and self-claimed victim apologise to mall

KOTA KINABALU: A 20-year-old woman confessed that she cut her wrist and made up a story that she was attacked and robbed at a shopping mall here.

Likas assemblyman Junz Wong, who had taken up her complaint, admitted that he was taken for a ride by the woman, who alleged that the incident happened on Jan 6. Images of the woman’s injured wrist have since gone viral.

Both Wong and the woman faced the media yesterday to apologise to the Suria Sabah shopping mall for implicating it in the fake story as well as to the woman’s family, friends and police.

Wong, who had raised the woman’s alleged plight in the media despite no police report made by her initially, admitted he had acted on an unverified report from a DAP Youth member said to be a friend of the self-claimed victim.

“We went through the CCTV footage and concluded that the alleged incident did not happen.

“We owe Suria Sabah and the public an apology,’’ Wong said, regretting the damage to the reputation suffered by all parties concerned.

“My action added pressure to Suria Sabah’s sufferings, which was not my intention,” added Wong, who had posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday that the woman’s father had informed him that she had made the claims to get her parents’ attention.

The woman, who declined to be named, confessed she cut her own wrist and made up the story. She did not disclose her motive.

She said there was no robbery attempt on her at the mall, adding that pictures of her injuries were uploaded on Facebook without her knowledge or consent.

“I have made a huge mistake and I sincerely apologise to Suria Sabah, the public, the police, my parents and everyone involved,” she said.

Meanwhile, according to sources, police will be re-recording a statement from the woman over the case, which is no longer a robbery but re-classified as a false report.

Wong is expected to also give additional statements to police.