Jenkins, Mrs A.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:49): The devoted family of murdered Adelaide grandmother Annapuranee (Anna) Jenkins has had a significant win in the Penang High Court recently, giving them hope that justice might one day be served on those responsible for her tragic death. Penang High Court judge Rofiah Mohamad upheld the open verdict finding by the original coroner's court and also ruled that there was no proper police investigation into Anna's death. She further ruled the coroner responsible for conducting an inquest into Anna's death had 'a premeditated decision that lacked any basis of evidence'.

Crucially for Anna's children, Greg Jenkins and Jen Bowen, who have been fighting for justice since their beloved mother disappeared without a trace in December 2017, the High Court judge stated that she could not rule out homicide. The judge said the deputy public prosecutor has the discretion under the criminal procedure code to issue further instructions on how the investigation should proceed, particularly in the area where the deceased body was found, to determine where the origin of the crime scene existed and hopefully provide the family with answers to the questions they have been asking for nearly seven years: who murdered their wife, mother and grandmother, and why? Judge Mohamad said:

It cannot be denied that homicide is a serious accusation that the coroner must consider. Although there may be involvement by other parties, it remains speculative.

She stated that the court also considered that the initial investigation was conducted under the framework of a missing persons case, not a criminal investigation like kidnapping or murder. Describing the situation as 'most unfortunate' she said:

The facts will only be obtained through a serious and thorough investigation. It is very unfortunate that the investigation was conducted under the framework of a missing person, and the investigation never led to a kidnapping case or any other criminal elements.

This is because when human remains are found in an unreachable and unlikely location, it should give a new indication of a criminal element, that the victim did not just go missing but died at a very unusual location.

Interestingly, local Malaysian media are now taking an increasing interest in the case, including criticisms of the way local police totally botched the initial investigation. The findings are a glimmer of hope for Anna's amazing, determined and committed family, who have been hoping for justice since she vanished.

I have spoken in this place a number of times on Anna's murder and her family's courageous search, not only for her body but for the truth. Anna, a devoted wife, mum and grandmother, went missing without a trace in December 2017 while visiting her sick mother in Penang. The police investigation was nothing short of appalling, forcing Greg and Jen to initiate their own investigation. It was Greg, following an anonymous tip-off, who discovered his mother's partial remains on a building site three years later.

I take my hat off to the Jenkins family. They have never given up hope when many families would have years ago, given the countless hurdles and brick walls they have encountered along the way, not only by local authorities in Malaysia but also back here in Australia. The lack of support by successive federal governments has been nothing short of disgraceful. Together with Greg and Jen, I am utterly perplexed at how the Australian Federal Police can be called in to investigate the suspected murder of an Australian citizen in Bangladesh under an obscure commonwealth law but has steadfastly refused to exercise the very same law to investigate Anna's murder.

Earlier this month, Greg learned that AFP officers travelled to Bangladesh last November to help the investigation of the suspected murder of Australian Bangladeshi citizen Rehana Parvin. Ms Parvin's body was discovered in September, two months after she went missing, buried in a small village. Two months later, AFP officers were in the South-East Asian country assisting local authorities with the investigation.

Meanwhile, despite numerous attempts by Greg and Jen to both the federal government and the AFP, the AFP has steadfastly refused to even offer its expertise or support to the Royal Malaysia Police in its appalling botched investigation into their mother's death. It is nothing short of a disgrace. Greg Jenkins asks constantly: what did his mum do to deserve this?