The body of Johari Abu Bakar, due to turn 17 next month before he was shot dead by police on May 13, was left unpreserved in a van for hours due to bureaucratic reasons.

According to his family’s lawyer Latheefa Koya, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) staff refused to place the body in proper refrigeration despite the High Court order earlier today that a second post-mortem be conducted there.

hindraf probed by police 141008 latheefa koya Latheefa ( right ) said the body has been exposed for hours, as it arrived from Serdang Hospital where it was previously held, at 3pm today.

At 6.40pm, she said there was a strong smell in the hearse, upsetting the driver. 

“The staff asked for a letter of undertaking to say that the hospital will not be blamed if there are any damages.

“We have been passed from one official to the other, and (the hospital) is currently preparing the paperwork, but they are refusing to take the body into the morgue,” she said when contacted.

Latheefa, who is a member of NGO Lawyers for Liberty which deals with human rights cases, said that the usual practice is for hospitals to take the body into the morgue to avoid damage before sorting out the paperwork.

NONE The lawyer, who is at the hospital with the teen’s family, said that she even warned the hospital staff that they are at risk of committing contempt of court.

“The order says that the post-mortem is to be conducted at UMMC and they are responsible for the condition of the body

“We have even offered to pay to store the body in the morgue but they did not allow it,” she said.

She added that there have been previous cases where second post-mortems were inconclusive as the bodies were not well-preserved.

The body was finally allowed into the morgue at 7pm.

“The family saw the body another time and were startled to see the decomposed face, and the smell is very strong... it’s really upsetting,” Latheefa said.

‘Suspicious injuries’

Earlier, the Shah Alam High Court ordered a second post-mortem be conducted at UMMC in the presence of an independent observer.

Police claimed that Johari, a secondary school drop-out turned odd job worker, was shot dead after he opened fire at police.

They also claimed that the teen was hiding out in a budget hotel in Dengkil after stealing a Toyota Alphard in Kelana Jaya on May 7.

His family is, however, suspicious of the circumstances of his death, claiming that the boy’s body showed signs of bruising and that his arm was broken.

They hope to bury their son by tomorrow morning.