Nurse Lim Cheng Wooi enters the courtroom at the George Town Sessions Court, March 29, 2022. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
GEORGE TOWN, March 29 — Australian Annapuranee Jenkins left the dental clinic on the day she went missing in an e-hailing ride booked by the clinic’s nurse, the Coroner’s Court here heard today.
The nurse/receptionist, Lim Cheng Wooi, said she helped the pensioner book a ride with e-hailing service, Uber.
“She had a mobile phone with her, but she did not have the Uber app, so I helped to book an Uber ride for her using my phone,” she told the inquest into Jenkins’ death, which was presided over by Coroner Norsalha Hamzah today.
She said Jenkins had gone to the dental clinic in Pulau Tikus on December 13, 2017, as she had an appointment to collect her dentures.
Lim said Jenkins’ dentures had yet to arrive at the time, so she only had fillings done on that day, according to her dental records.
“After the procedure, she asked me to help her get an Uber ride and set the destination for a home called Little Sisters of the Poor,” she said during questioning by Penang state prosecution office director Datuk Khairul Annuar Abd Halim.
She said she set the payment for Jenkins to pay the driver in cash once she arrived at her destination.
“I wrote the Uber’s number plate on a piece of paper for her so that she could immediately get into the car when it arrived,” she said.
When asked if she knew whether Jenkins reached her intended destination, Lim said she didn’t.
Son of late Annapuranee Jenkins, Gregory Jenkins at the George Town Sessions Court, March 29, 2022. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
She said she only found out Jenkins went missing the following day, when her son, Gregory Jenkins, called the clinic to ask if his mother had made it to her dental appointment.
Earlier, Lim said Jenkins’ appointment was at 11.30am on that day.
She said Jenkins had been a patient at the clinic since 2012, and in December 2017, she had been to the clinic twice prior to December 13.
“She was always early to her appointments, so on that day, she could have been early and arrived at 11am,” she said.
She said the dental procedure Jenkins had lasted about 30 minutes.
“It was only a normal filling procedure, so she was not given any anaesthetics,” she said.
Lim also agreed to search for the Uber receipt of the ride she ordered for Jenkins in her email and submit it to the Coroner’s Court at the request of counsel S Raveentharan, who is conducting a watching brief on behalf of the Jenkins family.
Jenkins was reported missing on December 13 in 2017.
A CCTV recording from Jen Hotel, where she was staying, showed that she left the premises at about 2.42pm in a taxi.
The third witness in the inquest, V Thiruarasan, who worked at Jen Hotel, at the George Town Sessions Court, March 29, 2022. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
Earlier today, the third witness in the inquest, V Thiruarasan, who worked at Jen Hotel, confirmed that Jenkins had trouble trying to get an e-hailing ride on her mobile phone at around 2pm.
“She was having problems, so I offered to help, but it was not working at the time, so she decided to take a taxi,” he said.
He added that Jenkins also told him that she had a dentist’s appointment.
Jenkins’ remains and belongings were found on June 24, 2020, at a construction site near where she was seen last.
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 issued a statement yesterday that the South Australian Parliament is closely monitoring the inquest.
Uber Driver Tan Tiang Guan seen entering the courtroom at the George Town Sessions Court, March 29, 2022. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
The court also called the fifth witness, Tan Tiang Guan, the Uber driver who picked up Jenkins on the day of her disappearance, but had to adjourn the rest of his testimony to tomorrow.
The inquest continues tomorrow morning.