I juz read that the Todds threw a tantrum making more accusations against the police. Even this believer of the tendency of our police to do incompetent things (Example) thinks the Todds’ are going to far, now that a FBI report contradicted them
The external hard drive accessed by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) three days after American engineer Shane Todd was found dead in his Singapore apartment in June last year was identical to the one the Todd family handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to examine in March this year, according to a report by the FBI.
At the ongoing coroner’s inquiry into Mr Todd’s death, the court heard yesterday that the FBI had come to this conclusion after the SPF had officially asked the FBI on March 19 this year to confirm whether the two external hard drives were, in fact, one and the same.
The FBI’s report appears to conflict with allegations made by the Todd family in a Financial Times report earlier this year, where his parents Richard and Mary said that they found the hard-disk drive at Mr Todd’s apartment themselves and kept it.
According to the SPF, Sergeant Khaldun Sarif took the Seagate hard drive back to the Central Police Division after he was called to the scene of Mr Todd’s death on June 24, 2012. After viewing the hard drive on the night of June 27, 2012, he gave it to Mr Todd’s parents on June 28, 2012. (BT 15 May 2013).
Interestingly, they still do not deny the implication of the FBI report that they lied:
Their claim that they had found the hard disk drive has been central to their claims that their son did not take his own life. As I wrote here, I was about to stop reading the FT story and bitch to the FT that a reputable paper like the FT had better things to do than print the rantings of grieving parents. I didn’t because I next read that they claimed that had found the drive which implied that the police had missed it. The claim put things in a different light: our police could have cocked up, like over the Suntec beatings (Incidentally, we still don’t know the result of the police disciplinary action against the investigator. Can a PAP MP or Mrs Chiam ask? WP MPs presumably too busy handing out contracts to supporters)
As they had then wanted the FBI to supervise the investigations of our police (which annoyed me), the FBI finding that the drive given to them by the parents, is the same as the one the police gave the Todds, tells us they misrepresented the facts.
Sergeant Khaldun Sarif was generous to the Todds, yet they behaved like vicious snakes towards him. He could have played it by the book and retained the drive. He handed it to the parents and look at what they did. They claimed to have found it to give credence to their claims that their son was murdered, putting him in a bad light: that as investigator he had missed the drive.
The Todds are bad or mad: that’s the conclusion any reasonable person would draw from the FBI report. Grief over the death of their son is one thing, trying to fix Sergeant Khaldun Sarif or blame others is another. But would bad people lie about the origins of the drive, and handed it over to the FBI? So grief may have driven them mad, and they tot that they found the drive?
Thoughts of a Cynical Investor 
[…] Thoughts of a Cynical Investor: Todds, even yr beloved, trusted FBI contradicts you – Breakfast Network: Hypothetically speaking in court – Wall Street Journal: FBI Backs […]
On Monday:
“Shane’s parents seemed satisfied with the hearing, even though the evidence now points to suicide. “We like the judge, how he is proceeding. We like the whole process,” Rick Todd said after the hearing.”
http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/13/4326050/singapore-police-present-evidence-of-suicide-in-controversial-death-shane-todd
Evidence presented at the inquest included:
“Two U.S.-based medical examiners agreed with a Singaporean pathologist’s findings that an American engineer died by hanging in what appeared to be a suicide in the city-state last year.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324031404578480773426702826.html?KEYWORDS=shane+todd
“A report from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation casts doubt on a claim put forward by the family of American engineer Shane Todd that an unknown party tampered with Mr. Todd’s work files after he was found dead last June in Singapore.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324031404578483244211880244.html
On Wednesday:
“I am very, very disappointed in the process and I want the truth to be known here in Singapore,” the mother said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ixqtwtKehwNKNSIbznT15udrjGZQ?docId=CNG.6d9f4fa5dec795c2597993538722c74f.591
Thanks.
It is interesting to see that no US government official has sided with the Todds. Only their Senators, which of course, depend on the Todd’s votes–although one of them I believe is no longer going to run for office.
In the mean time, high level US officials are in Singapore praising the government to allow the first Littorial Combat Ship there. So it seems funny that the Obama Administration would keep silent over a possibly “espionage” case. Wouldn’t they at least withold the deployment or voice support for their own citizens?
Or as you say they are bad or mad
The Todds would be giving evidence during the inquest. We would know then
on whose side the apple falls, isn’t it? But, I do have a query about the police
investigator handing over an obviously important piece of material evidence to
the parents. Is this standard police procedure? And surely the Todds would
have to sign for it. Was such an acknowledgement of receipt produced in court
by the Singapore police to support the investigator’s statement? Very, very
strange if this was not done.
It is strange if the Todds could do such a foolish thing knowing full well how they
had actually ostensibly obtained the disk (from the police). It is also mighty
strange that the police has not tendered such a signed acknowledgement slip from the Todds as evidence to counter this rather serious allegation. The SPF is being kind to them even in a fact finding inquest?
They are grieving and seeking answers and I highly doubt they actually care about Sergeant Khaldun Sarif at this stage. I actually sympathise with the Todds since their son who was very well educated, was living a good life had no clear reason which would drive him to suicide. After all, he had already resigned from the job that was making him uncomfortable, etc.
Fair enough: “They are grieving and seeking answers”, But going by the evidence on the origins of the drive, they are trying to “fix” the answer they get. And Mrs Todd is a Christian pastor, sad to say.
As GG on TRE wrote, “The Tods’ want the Coroner to prove it isn’t murder. How can he do that ? This is an apparent suicide. Death by asphyxiation. So he either hung himself or was strangled. Any signs of trauma, to indicate a struggle ? This was a 200 guy …”
It was his choice to work in IME inthe first place. As an American with a PhD, why couldnt he have found a job back home? Then there would be no threat to sell secrets.
This blog post could be subjudice. The hearing is still undergoing.
From the Straits Times, May 17
“Dr Wee, however, could not account for scratch-like marks around Dr Todd’s ears and neck.” (Dr Wee Keng Poh is the pathologist who supervised the autopsy)
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-16/singapore-court-told-todd-was-depressed-without-suicidal-signs.html
Singapore Court Told Todd Was Depressed Without Suicidal Signs
You lawyer is it?
Forsenic-wise, the SPF screwed up. The IO should not have powered up the computer without consulting the forensic people. By doing so, the content in the hard disk was changed resulting in some additional, albeit temporary, files. I thought that in forsenic practice, one has to make copies of it and then work on the copy rather than the original to avoid tainting the evidence.