The mother of deceased police detainee G Francis Udayapan has no reservations in giving her blood sample for a DNA test contrary to what was suggested by the media, claimed her lawyer N Surendran today.

He said media reports had falsely portrayed G Sara Lily as refusing to give her blood in order to confirm whether a corpse retrieved from the Klang River recently was that of her son.

"The police already obtained the blood sample from Francis' father so we took the position that there was no need for the mother to do so as well. The police agreed with us but this was not reported in the media.

"On June 4 and 5, Chief Inspector Nik Rosazhan Nik Abdul Hamid told me that there was no need for her blood sample. He told us to hold on while the chemist conducted the test on the father's blood sample and that they'll release the body once the report is out," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

The lawyer said Sara only learnt of the fact that the DNA test with her husband's blood had come out negative via the newspapers and not from the police.

"It was never communicated to her by the police, she had to find that out from the newspapers. We want the police to refrain from such things and treat the family with dignity" he added.

Mother's requests

Sara has already positively identified the highly decomposed body as that of her 26-year-old son based on his tattoos and teeth deformity. She has also signed a statement to this effect.

The police claimed that Francis had escaped from custody at the Brickfields district police headquarters by jumping into a nearby river while handcuffed on April 17.

However, his mother suspected that her son had been assaulted to death by policemen and dumped into the river, but a police investigation later ruled out any foul play.

On May 23, the police found the remains of a man in the Klang River near Puchong, whom they said could be Francis. A post-mortem is still pending, much to the chagrin of Sara.

Meanwhile, Surendran said Sara would supply the police with her blood sample if they give her a copy of the chemist report which deemed the father's DNA a non-match, among other requests.

"It is only fair if the police also undertake to forward us the autopsy report when it's ready and to allow us to get an independent pathologist to conduct the test as well.

"The police cannot continue to withhold reports and keep the family in the dark," he added.

No faith in police

Responding to Kuala Lumpur CID Chief Abdul Aziz Bulat's call in the Malay Mail yesterday for Sara to trust the police and the system, Surendran said his client has no faith in the police.

"How is she supposed to have trust in the system when the police sexually and physically assaulted her and attempted to arrest her a week after the disappearance of Francis.

"Furthermore, the police have acted in an aggressive manner throughout this episode and even going to the extent of arresting her lawyer P Uthayakumar," he added.

Sara has also lodged two police reports claiming that she was groped and manhandled when a scuffle broke out between family members and police personnel at the Brickfield district police headquarters.

On the other hand, Uthayakumar is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom after being allegedly assaulted and threatened at gunpoint, which he believes is related to Francis' case.

"Police conduct in all this is unbecoming. With all this how can we place trust in the police?" asked Surendran.