GEORGE TOWN: A challenge brought by the family of deceased Australian national Anna Jenkins against a coroner’s verdict over her death has been fixed for mention on Aug 7 at the High Court here, the family’s lawyers revealed.
On May 12, coroner Norsalha Hamzah concluded a lengthy inquest by delivering an open verdict, after failing to determine what caused Jenkins’ death.
In a brief response, law firm Jerald Gomez & Associates told FMT that the family’s application to review the verdict had been accepted and will now go through a full hearing.
Jenkins’ family had applied for a revision to challenge the coroner’s verdict, highlighting concerns over inconsistencies in the police investigation into her disappearance and death.
Jenkins’ son, Greg, said there were numerous deficiencies in the previous inquest, including the lack of recognition of evident markings on an upper arm bone that was recovered, as well as the lack of effort to excavate additional remains from a bungalow site adjacent to the Race Course.
He said, to date, only 34 bones were sifted out from the construction site, that too, from a shallow depth of 15cm as revealed in past court testimony.
“We are elated that the High Court has accepted our application for a review. Being an inquisitorial judicial system, we were hoping the coroner would ask the right questions.
“We also know mom’s remains are on the construction site. We hope a stop work order is issued. We want to know why police are protective of the developers of the construction site,” he said.
Jenkins’ lawyers, in their application to review the coroner’s findings, drew parallels between this case and the death of Dutch model Ivana Smit.
They said with the Smit family successfully appealing the coroner’s court’s initial ruling, a revised verdict was delivered, where unknown persons were involved in her death.
Jenkins, 65, disappeared along Scotland Road in 2017, and despite extensive efforts by her family, including her son, she was never located.
In 2020, her remains were found at a construction site, together with her personal belongings.
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