Apology letter by son of Malaysian couple held in Sweden highlighted in court

STOCKHOLM: “I’m sorry, it was my anger that started this,” wrote one of the children of the Malaysian couple in Sweden who were alleged to have abused their kids.

The letter surfaced on the first day of trial of Azizul Raheem Awalluddin, a Tourism Malaysia director in Stockholm, and his wife Shalwati Nurshal.

Shalwati’s counsel, Kristofer Stahre, read in open court the letter by Ammar, 12, who is the second of the four siblings.

“Mummy, I love you. I’m sorry, it was my anger that started this. Love, Ammar. P.S., I will always love you,” he read.

Stahre said the letter had been found by the prosecution during a check in the house but they declined to submit it as evidence.

He told the court it had been difficult for Ammar to tolerate the pressure to help around the house, which “made him hateful to his parents”.

Ammar, claimed Stahre, was also an attention seeker and tended to exaggerate his stories.

He then submitted a comment made by Ammar to a classmate via Skype, in which the 12-year-old had said how he hated his parents.

Prosecutor Anna Arnell clarified that the letter was not seized by the prosecution as it appeared to be a private communication between family members.

She added that in the interest of transparency, she had made note of the letter, which led the defence to find it.

The case was heard before District Judge Mattias Mller in the Solna district courthouse here starting at 9.10am local time.

Azizul and Shalwati, who wore jackets even in court, appeared tired when they were brought in.

They sat beside their counsel and were given earphones to listen to the translation of the proceedings, which were conducted in Swedish.

Azizul was represented by Jonas Tamm, while lawyer Timo Manninen held a watching brief for the Malaysian Tourism Ministry.

Also present were Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab and Malaysia’s Ambassador to Sweden Datuk Badruddin Abdul Rahman.

Shalwati and her husband were detained on Dec 18 last year after Ammar told the staff at his school that he had been hit.

The staff then reported the matter to the authorities.

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

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

Under Section 4A, Chapter 4 (on crimes against liberty and peace) of the Swedish Penal Code, the Malaysian parents could face between six months to six years in prison for each charge.

The trial, which is set for 10 days until March 10, continues today.