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The mum of a teen model who plunged 200 feet to her death from a luxury apartment has won a major victory in her bid to prove her daughter's death was not accidental after she was given nearly GBP 200,000 in compensation - with cops ordered to reopen the case as a murder investigation.
Victim Ivana Smit's naked body was found on the balcony of a luxury sixth-floor flat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after what an American couple said was consensual sex as a threesome.
Ivana, 19, had dropped from Bitcoin tycoon Alexander Johnson and his wife Laura Almazkyzy's 20th-storey balcony.
The couple, who admitted to having had a threesome, denied any involvement in her death, saying they were asleep when she fell.
The police had originally dismissed Dutch national Ivana's December 2017 death as an accident caused by a drug overdose.
But judges gave her mother, Christina Verstappen, permission to set aside a police verdict of 'sudden death' and sue investigators for negligence.
Now the investigation into the Malaysian police file has revealed a shocking catalogue of errors.
The police at first apparently failed to harvest DNA evidence from Ivana's body to see if anyone else had been involved in the fall.
Then, when they did find DNA belonging to Johnson under Ivana's fingernails two months later, it sat on file without any action.
The police even allowed Johnson and Almazkyzy to leave the country a month later without any attempt to reinterview them, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur heard.
Now the police and prosecutors have been ordered to reopen the investigation and pay Ivana's mother compensation and costs for her fight for justice.
A verdict on 29th July awarded Christina a total of MYR 1.1 million (GBP 194,489) in compensation for police negligence.
Christina had sued Inspector-General of Police Dang Wangi, investigating officer ASP Faizal Abdullah, the government Home Minister, and the Malaysian government.
She said they had all failed in their statutory duties and had been negligent in their investigation into what caused her daughter's death.
The judge also ordered that Abdullah be removed from the task force reinvestigating the case.
Judge Roz Mawar Rozain said: "There were evidence preservation failures. There was inadequate witness and suspect handling.
"There was forensic evidence of neglect, and there was expert evidence of dismissal.
"The plaintiff is a direct victim, has suffered harm, and that harm suffered by the plaintiff is the direct and foreseeable consequence of the defendants’ breach of duty."
She added: "This sequence of events reflects a fundamental breakdown in investigative procedures.
"The presence of DNA evidence linking a suspect to the deceased, especially under such suspicious circumstances, should have triggered prompt and decisive action to prevent the suspect from leaving the jurisdiction."
(Joseph Golder / newsX)
Byline Journalist: Joseph Golder
Byline Sub editor: Joseph Golder
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Mike Leidig
Byline Senior Writer: Joseph Golder
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Copychecker: Marija Stojkoska
Byline Illustrator: Marija Stojkoska
Byline News Editor: Clive Goodman
Geography: Malaysia
Subject: Accidents
T4 Editor Story Rating: 7
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 8
T4 Total rating: 7.5
