PUTRAJAYA: Her legal battle may have come to an end but for Sam Ke Ting, the tragedy that saw her involved in an accident that claimed eight lives, is something she will carry to her grave.
The 28-year-old clerk said she was still haunted by the accident six years ago.
After being acquitted by the Court of Appeal over the accident, Sam addressed the families of the deceased teenagers to apologise and mentioned their names one by one.
“I was the one driving and caused the demise of your beloved children. However, I did not intend for the accident to happen,” she said, reading her statement in Bahasa Malaysia.
Wearing a black blouse with light grey pants, Sam appeared calm while facing the press with her team of lawyers.
She said that throughout her six-year legal battle, she had thought of how the boys’ lives would have been alongside their families.
“What I say here may not be enough to bring peace to your lives. I believe you are struggling with feelings you should not have felt.
“My words will not bring them back but I would like to say that I, too, carry the burden of this tragedy.
“I sincerely apologise, although I realise it may be hard for you to forgive me,” she said.
Sam then thanked the panel of judges for hearing her defence in the case.
Yesterday, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal chaired by Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail allowed Sam’s appeal and set aside her conviction and sentence in the case on the grounds that her charge was defective.
Other judges on the panel were Justices Hashim Hamzah and Azman Abdullah.
