State Counsel: Coroner's inquiry not a criminal trial to find guilt

• Girl enters lift.
• Benjamin Lim (BL) enters lift.
• Girl presses 14th storey lift button.
• BL presses 13th storey lift button.
• Girl stands at rear right corner of the lift.
• BL stands at rear left corner of the lift.
• BL drops his phone on the floor next to the girl.
• BL bends down and picks up phone using right hand.
• BL transfers phone from his right hand to his left hand.
• BL uses his right hand to touch the lower back portion of the girl.* (*This part is disputed by the family.)
• BL turns and looks at girl.
• BL walks away from girl while still looking at her.
• BL walks to lift door.
• Lift door opens and BL walks out.
• Girl steps out of the lift and looks outside. The lift moves off then returns to that storey and the girl gets in. She goes to the 14th storey and goes home. BL gets into the lift at 12th storey and exits on first storey.

Benjamin Lim had told the police that he found the girl "cute-looking" and decided to follow her into the lift.

This was what he told senior investigation officer (SIO) Mohammad Fareed Rahmat at an open plan office in Ang Mo Kio police station.

SIO Fareed had not seen the footage from inside the lift at this point, said ASP Razif.

At first, Benjamin repeated his account to SIO Fareed of getting lost and needing to find his bearings again.

SIO Fareed did not think Benjamin was telling the truth as he could not answer why he pressed the button to the 13th storey and was given 20 minutes to "think about what he would like to give as his account of the events", said ASP Razif.

When SIO Fareed returned, Benjamin admitted that "he had followed and touched the girl because he found her cute-looking".

He also admitted to having touched her left thigh due to a sudden urge.

His statement was then recorded and the teen was placed under arrest and taken to a charge office for processing.

He was also placed in a temporary holding area, but was kept apart from other people in police custody.

This holding area was "to ensure they do not escape from custody and to monitor their safety and well-being," wrote ASP Razif in his investigation report.

School principal Chen Fook Pang, who was the second witness on the stand yesterday, testified that he had taken pains to ensure his student's well-being.

He negotiated so that only one of the five police officers there questioned the boy.

He even arranged to be in the police interview of Benjamin with other staff and spoke to the boy before the police did.

Mr Chen said: "They (the police) agreed to all these requests."

When asked why he had to "push his luck", Mr Chen said that based on his past experiences, the police might not have agreed to these requests.

Mr Chen said: "Benjamin did not have any academic or disciplinary issues in school... This was my first time speaking to him directly."

The principal asked general questions about Benjamin's life, including about his family.

He then asked about Benjamin's whereabouts after school on Jan 25.

Mr Chen said: "(On Jan 25,) he walked home with friend and tried taking a shortcut and got lost. He decided to go up the nearest HDB block to orientate himself."

Inspector Poh Wee Teck then spoke to Benjamin, who repeated how he had ended up in the other block.

School counsellor Karry Lung, who was the third person to take the stand yesterday, told the court how Benjamin's demeanour changed after a phone call to his mother.

During the interview in school, Benjamin told Insp Poh that there was a young girl in the lift with him and he had accidentally touched her, ASP Razif testified earlier.

ANXIOUS

Benjamin was observed to be calm and able to answer questions from Insp Poh.

He was asked to phone home and was given some time to speak to his mother.

He then appeared to look anxious and fidgety.

Madam Lung said: "When his voice got lower and lower, I observed his facial expressions, his eyebrows et cetera, I felt that his stress level was much higher than previously."

None of the three witnesses could tell what was spoken, except that all agreed that the voice from the phone was loud, even though the call was not on speaker mode.

Madam Lung then signalled for the phone conversation to end as she sensed that the conversation "was not doing Benjamin any good".

Mr Chen added: "Benjamin looked anxious after the phone call. Before this, he had been calm."

Benjamin was allowed to finish his meal - a bun and a drink - before he was taken to Ang Mo Kio police station in one of the unmarked cars at around 10.45am.

When it came to the topic of the school camp, there was again a different point of view between the family and the school.

While the school counsellor claimed there were two instances where the three-day cohort camp was brought up, the family said there was only one.

And while the school said it left the decision up to the parents to keep Benjamin at home, the family said they had little say in the decision.

School counsellor Karry Lung said she first suggested to the family that it may not be in Benjamin's best interest to send him to the camp, when she met Mrs Lim and Benjamin's eldest sister at the school around 11am on Jan 26.

But in court, the family's lawyer, Mr Remy Choo Zheng Xi, said his clients did not recall such a conversation.

STRESS

Said Madam Lung: "I told Benjamin's mother that he might be experiencing a lot of stress due to the police interview, and the family should pay more attention to him during this difficult time."

Mrs Lim had agreed with the suggestion, she added. Madam Lung then advised her to not decide yet until they heard from Benjamin, and informed her that she would check in on the teen later.

Mrs Lim bailed Benjamin out of the police station at about 3pm. At home, Benjamin was seen to be playing games on his mobile phone when his mother received the call from Madam Lung around 4.20pm.

Madam Lung had met the principal, the discipline mistress and other school leaders who tasked her to recommend that he should stay home instead of joining the camp which started the next day.

Madam Lung told the court that she did as told and Mrs Lim had agreed with the recommendation for the second time.

But the family said the counsellor had already decided not to let Benjamin attend the camp.

On hearing the news, Benjamin locked himself in his bedroom and was found dead at the foot of his block minutes later, around 4.30pm.

The hearing continues today at the State Courts.