GEORGE TOWN, March 30 — An e-hailing driver told the Coroner’s Court today that Malaysian-born Australian citizen Annapuranee Jenkins had suddenly asked him to drop her off along a high-traffic road in Penang before they reached her intended destination at a home for senior citizens.
Tan Tiang Guan, who was the last person to see Jenkins alive before her disappearance on December 13 five years ago, said she had asked him to drop her off near the traffic lights on Scotland Road where SMJK Union is located.
“She suddenly asked me to stop but the traffic lights were green and cars were moving fast so I couldn’t stop there and told her that I will drop her after the traffic lights,” he said when giving his testimony in the Malaysia-born Australian's inquest this morning.
Tan, 64, said he drove further down the road and saw that the gate to the Ramakrishna Ashrama was open.
“I turned into the Ramakrishna compound and dropped her inside, just a few feet from the entrance because it is safer for my car to stop there and drop her,” he said.
He said he had pressed “end trip” on the Uber app and due to a promotional rate, the fare only came up to RM1. Uber ended its e-hailing services in Malaysia in April 2018.
“She paid me RM1 in cash and told me that friends will pick her up,” he said.
He said he then drove in and made a turn out through the exit on the other side.
“As I was turning out, I glanced over and saw her walking a few steps inwards,” he said.
During his testimony, Penang state prosecution office director Datuk Khairul Annuar Abd Halim showed Tan a Google Earth view of the route he took after picking up Jenkins in front of CIMB Bank in Pulau Tikus, which is next to the dental clinic where Jenkins had her dental appointment.
Tan pointed out the full route he drove, starting from Pulau Tikus up to the exact location where he had dropped Jenkins off.
He said he had picked her up at about 4.30pm and dropped her off at about 4.45pm.
He also confirmed that he had received a trip request from another person and that it was not under Jenkin’s name.
“The trip request was under a Chinese name so when she stopped my car, in front of the bank, I wound down my window to state the name of the person who made the request, she said ‘I told them to book for me’,” he related.
He said he has also confirmed with her the destination entered in the trip request, which was to Little Sisters of the Poor in Batu Lanchang.
“I asked her if her destination is Little Sisters of the Poor, she said yes,” he said.
He said Jenkins was carrying a plastic bag at that time and had sat on the back passenger seat.
He said he did not have any conversation with Jenkins throughout the trip.
He also said he did not hear her speak to anyone on her phone during the trip.
When Khairul asked him why Jenkins told him that her “friends will pick her up”, Tan said maybe she wanted to justify why she suddenly wanted him to drop her before reaching her destination.
He said it is normal for passengers to suddenly ask for a change in destination or ask him to stop before they reach their destination.
Tan said after he left the Ramakrishna Ashrama compound, he received another trip request and went to pick up the next passenger.
Tan said he found out Jenkins went missing a few days later when the police called him to go to the police station to have his statement recorded.
He said the police did not ask to see his phone to check his Uber trip records.
He also said the police did not inspect his car.
“I only gave my statement to the police officer, he typed out my statement, I read it and signed it,” he said.
Tan is the fifth witness called in to give his testimony in the inquest.
Khairul Annuar later asked for the inquest to be adjourned till tomorrow and for the hearing on Friday to be vacated.
He said the dentist who treated Jenkins on December 13 in 2017 will be called in to testify tomorrow.
He told the Coroner Norsalha Hamzah that the current investigating officer into the case and the police will need time to gather information based on evidence revealed in the inquest over these three days.
“We want them to come to testify when they have complete information on the case so we would like for the hearing on Friday to be vacated,” he said.
He asked for the hearing tomorrow to start earlier so that they could complete recording testimonies from the dentist Dr Lee Wooi Seng and another witness.
The first investigating officer who took charge of the initial missing persons report is also expected to testify tomorrow.
Jenkins went to the Goh Dental clinic on that fateful date and was on the way to visit her mother at the Little Sisters of the Poor before she disappeared.
Jenkins remains and belongings were found on June 24 in 2020 at a construction site near where she was last seen.
An inquest is now being held to determine the cause of her death.
Jenkins’ case caught the attention of the South Australian government when a member of the legislative council, Frank Pangallo, took up the case on behalf of her family last year.
Pangallo said the South Australian Parliament is closely monitoring the inquest.
