Statements of Todd family given to police; may be read out during inquiry

While the parents of Shane Todd did not attend the coroner's inquiry into their eldest son's death today, the three brothers of Dr Todd arrived after lunch to watch proceedings unfold as the family's computer analyst expert Ashraf Massoud retook the stand.

The Todd brothers observed the inquiry until the late evening, leaving after Dr Todd's ex-colleague at the Singapore Institute of Microelectronics (IME) Joseph Romen Cubillo finished giving the inquiry his evidence.

John Todd, 29, told reporters later that they had attended court today to support Mr Massoud, a family friend of more than a decade. He said the family was "undecided" when they would return to the United States, or whether his parents would be attending the rest of the Coroner's Inquiry.

The Todd family had stormed out of the courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, after the State Coroner turned down their application to be given more time to prepare for a witness, which they said had been "sprung" upon them. The family dismissed their lawyers on Wednesday morning.

The Straits Times understands that Dr Todd's three brothers, as well as his parents, have given the police their statements. The Attorney-General's Chambers confirmed that it has received five conditioned statements from the family.

These may be read out in court next week during the inquiry.

The body of Dr Todd was found hanged in his Chinatown apartment last June, but his parents believed he was murdered because of his work at IME.

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