Huang Na

Singapore in 2005

Huang Na (zh-cp |c=黄娜 |p=Huáng Nà; 25 September 1996 – 10 October 2004) was a Chinese national who was found dead in a cardboard box at Telok Blangah Hill Park, Singapore, on 31 October, 2004. She was eight years old at her death.

Huang Na disappeared on 10 October, 2004, leading to a nationwide search which stretched to Malaysia. The police arrested the prime suspect, a 22-year-old Malaysian Took Leng How, who helped locate her body 3 weeks later.

On 26 August 2005, Took was found guilty for murder and sentenced to death. He was hanged on the early morning of 3 November, 2006.

Disappearance

The girl was reported missing on 10 October 2004 after she went out alone to make a long distance call to her mother, who had returned to China earlier on 27 September, leaving Huang Na in the care of a housemate.

Huang Na was last seen playing with Took Leng How at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre that day. Took was a vegetable packer at the wholesale centre and a former colleague and flatmate of Huang Na's mother. Took was married and was the father of one young child.

Nationwide search

The case generated immense media attention and controversy surrounded the case, particularly as a result of local newspapers offering suggestions that the mother herself may be a murder suspect.

Members of the public helped in the search and distributed thousands of flyers in Singapore and Johor Bahru. The Malay Muslim community also came forward to help find the girl. [ cite web |title=Contributions of the Malay Muslim community |work= Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore) | url=http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=1502&type=4 |accessmonthday=April 23 | accessyear = 2005 ]

When police were investigating the missing case, Took gave contradictory stories during police questioning. At first, he claimed that he had not seen the girl after they parted ways at the wholesale centre. Upon further questioning, he told investigator that four men in their 20s and 30s kidnapped the girl. Not a prime suspect at that time, Took appeared to be cooperating and claimed that he could help by arranging Huang Na's release, but he had to collect his two mobile phones in which some contact numbers were stored. The police escorted Took to collect the mobile phones, but while returning to the police station, they stopped at a restaurant. Took excused himself to go to the toilet and managed to slip away and escaped to Penang, Malaysia on 21 October, 2004. He later surrendered to police in Penang on 30 October and was extradited by the Royal Malaysian Police to Singapore. [ cite web |title=Stepdad arrives, couple break down|work= AsiaOne News | url = http://www.asiaone.com.sg/a1news/20041103_story1_1.html |accessdaymonth= 3 November | accessyear = 2004 ]

He then led police investigators to the body of Huang Na, found inside a cardboard box in a dense undergrowth in Telok Blangah Hill Park. Using dental records, Health Sciences Authority forensics team later identified the body as Huang Na. Due to the high publicity the searching effort had generated, the outcome was greeted with shock by the public.

The murder

It was alleged that on 10 October, Took had coaxed Huang Na into a storeroom with mangoes and a game of hide and seek [http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,91371,00.html] . After Took murdered the victim, he wrapped the body in nine layers of plastic bags and stuffed into a cardboard box which was sealed with adhesive tape. Took left the box in the storeroom. Later that day, he went back to his HDB flat in Telok Blangah Heights to watch television. At 8 pm, he left his house with a motorcycle he had borrowed from a friend. It was alleged that Took used the motorcycle to transport the body to Telok Blangah Hill Park. [ cite news | title = He lured her into her trap | publisher = The New Paper | date = 13 July 2005 | url = http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,91371,00.html By Genevieve Jiang ]

Took's police statement

After his arrest, Took told police that he and Huang Na were playing a game of hide and seek on October 10 and he tied Huang Na's hands and feet as part of the game. She was then left in a dark room where she accidentally injured herself by knocking her head against some boxes. Took said that when he returned to the room, he found the girl bleeding from the mouth. He panicked and started to strangle her. He then undressed her to give the impression of a rape. [ cite news | title = Huang Na case: Accused admitted to police he strangled victim | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | date = 13 July 2005 | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=Huang%20na&id=157756 By Dominique Loh ]

Trial of Took Leng How

On 14 June 2005, the case's Preliminary Inquiry was presented to the High Court. 75 witnesses were expected to take the stands during the trial.

In their opening statement on 11 July, 2005, the prosecutors said that on 10 October, 2004, Took lured the 8 year old Huang Na at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. He then sexually assaulted Huang Na and smothered her to death with his bare hands. Took also stomped and kicked the victim during the murder. The prosecutors introduced evidence that Took had tied Huang Na's body with string, sealed her body in nine layers of plastic bags and disposed her body down a slope at the Telok Blangah Hill Park.

During the autopsy, the medical examiner found bruises on her right temple, scalp, chin, jaw and lips. The medical examiner also concluded that the nature of death was asphyxia and the official cause of death was "acute airway occlusion".

The prosecution presented forensic evidence that linked Took and the victim to the crime scene, which was a storage room at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. Investigators found the victim's hairs and blood traces at the scene; the blood was proven to be belonging to Huang Na following forensic DNA analysis. Investigators also found a cigarette butt that contained traces of the suspect's saliva and a piece of adhesive tape with the suspect's fingerprint on it. Forensic experts were not able to conclude that the suspect's semen was found in the crime scene. [ cite news | title = Huang Na Murder Trial | publisher = Lianhe Wanbao | date = 12 July 2005 | url = http://www.zaobao.com/special/singapore/pages2/mgirl050712.html (Chinese) ]

Ms Lim Chin Chin, senior forensic scientist from the Centre of Forensic Science told the court that the end of one of the adhesive-tape strips on the cardboard box in which the body was found matched the end of a roll of adhesive tape found at the storeroom. The analyst further observed that the box had been sealed in "a very systematic manner". This drew notice to the fact that Took was a packer at the wholesale centre [ cite news | title = Took blames 'gang members' | publisher = Today (Singapore newspaper) | date = 13 July 2005 | url = http://www.todayonline.com/articles/61176.asp By Wong Fei Wan ]

On 26 August 2005, Took Leng How was sentenced to death after being found guilty for the murder of Huang Na. The judge pointed out that the forensic evidence supported the prosecution's case and that Took had admitted to sexually assaulting Huang Na, smothering her to death with his bare hands. He said that the defence has failed to prove that Took was suffering from schizophrenia. [ cite news | title = Took Leng How sentenced to death for killing 8-year-old Huang Na | date = 26 August 2005 | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/165081/1/.html ]

Took appealed to the Court of Appeal in the Supreme Court. On 25 January 2006, the 3-member Court of Appeal upheld the sentence in a two-to-one decision. Chief Justice Yong Pung How and Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin agreed with the decision of trial judge Lai Kew Chai. Justice Kan Ting Chiu delivered a dissenting judgement expressing that there was a reasonable doubt whether Took caused Huang Na's death by smothering her mouth and nose, or whether she died as a result of a fit. Kan wrote that Took should be convicted for an offence of voluntarily causing hurt. [ cite web |title="Took Leng How v Public Prosecutor", Court of Appeal Judgement, 25 January 2006 |url= http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/2005-05-30-02.htm | accessdaymonth=28 January | accessyear=2006 ] A clemency appeal to the President of Singapore was rejected. Took was hanged in Changi Prison on Friday, 3 November 2006 before dawn. [ cite news | title = Took's appeal dismissed, death term upheld for Huang Na's murder | date = 25 January 2006 | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/189948/1/.html By Rita Zahara ]

Developments after her death

Huang Na's name was changed to Zheng Na (Chinese:郑娜 "Zhèng Nà") after her death, to reflect the family name of her stepfather Zheng Wenhai (Chinese:郑文海). Her tomb in China's Putian was completed by January 2005, but the tomb was damaged by a robber trying to steal her ashes left over from her bones from the tomb in July 2005. Since the ashes were supposed to bring good luck, the mother was sorrowful and filled with grief. Some Singaporeans have requested to buy her ashes to take back to Singapore, but were turned down by her mother Huang Shuying (Chinese:黄淑英) and has also turned down media's request to film her daughter's tomb, for fear that they would damage it. [ cite news | title = Huang Na's tomb was robbed | date = 25 January 2006 | publisher = China Platform.com | url = http://chinaplatform.com/bbs/read.php?tid=1477 By Shin Min Daily News ]

References