Family of Essex surgeon claims South Africa police chatted as he lay dying

An NHS surgeon killed in South Africa was directed by police towards the violent protest in which he was shot dead, his family has claimed.

Kar Hao Teoh, 40, was killed in front his wife, mother and young son after a day out whale watching in South Africa.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, his family claims they were directed towards a minibus strike by police.

The South African Police Service said the family should contact the force if they had any complaints.

Mr Teoh's family claim that after he was shot in the head on 3 August, officers refused to take him to hospital, refused to call an ambulance and stood around chatting as he was dying.

Mr Teoh, an orthopaedic surgeon at Princess Alexandra Hospital, in Harlow, Essex, died in front of his mother, wife and two-year-old son.

The family told how they were on the two-week "trip of a lifetime" and had enjoyed a "wonderful" day whale watching in Hermanus and seeing penguins at Betty's Bay before he was killed.

But on their return to Cape Town, they they ended up following cars directed into the township of Nyanga, near Cape Town International Airport, to avoid road closures caused by a minibus taxi strike called unexpectedly that afternoon.

By the end of the strike - a week later - five people were left dead, including a police officer and Mr Teoh, who lived in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, .

"We were on our way back from seeing the whales and were about 30 minutes from our destination when suddenly there was a road closure," said his mother Ainah, who lives in Singapore, where Mr Teoh grew up.

"There was a policeman standing in the centre of the road junction directing the cars.

"He stopped our car and directed my son to take the left turn and asked him to follow the white car in front of us."

Sara said: "The police made a point to knock on our window to tell us which way to go. I thought, 'Oh, he's a very considerate policeman.'"

It is understood they were sent this way amid concerns motorists were being targeted on the road they were heading towards.

"I could see that there were car wheels on the floor. There were lots of pedestrians walking on the roads," said Mr Teoh's wife, Sara.

The family then found themselves driving past a burnt-out bus.

As they were heading down Ntlangano Crescent, Sara spotted a man approaching their rental car.

"The shooter came out and shot my husband as he was driving," she said.

"There was no confrontation, no provocation - nothing whatsoever. He was driving and he was shot."

Mr Teoh's mother tried to take control of the steering wheel in a desperate bid to prevent them crashing.

Locals came to help stop the car.

Despite being shot in the head, Mr Teoh did not die immediately.

Another motorist, who had also been directed into Nyanga, approached, telling Sara he had seen the shooter and wanted to help but feared he would be arrested.

He then gave advice about putting pressure on the wound.

The eyewitness was one of those who helped the car come to a stop next to a petrol station, just by a police station.

Sara and Ainah saw at least two or three police vehicles and about six different police officers at the scene as Mr Teoh fought for his life.

The family said the officers asked what had happened but refused to call an ambulance.

"Each one, we pleaded with them," said Sara. "We said that he is a doctor. He saves lives. Please help him. He's a good man.

"One even suggested we drive Kar Hao to the nearest hospital ourselves."

Ainah said the whole car was covered in glass.

"The windscreen was cracked with holes. I thought it was obvious that we were in desperate need of help," she said.

'What really broke my heart was that no empathy and care was shown to us in that moment."

Ainah claims officers just "walked away, and continued chatting amongst themselves".

"Couldn't they see what had happened to us?"

It took an hour for an ambulance to arrive at the scene, by which time Mr Teoh was dead.

"They dismissed us and they said that we could come to identify his body at the morgue the next day," said Sara.

The family was not asked by police for their names or where they were staying. Nor were they asked for a statement.

Mr Teoh's mother said police insisted they could not take them to safety in a police car.

"They told us that we could leave this place without my son. They kept telling us, 'We cannot take you in a police car.'"

Instead, paramedics took the family to safety in the ambulance and contacted the British Embassy on their behalf.

"We are really grateful, incredibly thankful that we met these wonderful ambulance drivers because God knows what would have happened to us if it was not for them," Sara said.

The BBC put the family's account to the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Col Andrè Traut, provincial commander for media communication in the Western Cape, said the murder was under investigation.

"Should the family of the deceased have any concerns regarding the investigation or complaints directed at SAPS, they are encouraged to approach police management with the information so that the allegations can be probed," he said.

"It will be improper to discuss such a sensitive matter with a third party, as information could be misconstrued."

The BBC understands no arrests have been made.

The family has pleaded with those in the area at the time of Mr Teoh's killing to come forward.

"There were a lot of vehicles surrounding the place and a lot of the locals standing around the area," Ainah said.

"We are appealing to the witnesses and to the parents of the person responsible. My son passed away almost 100 days ago.

"We are doing prayers for him because he passed away in a foreign land. And we need to call his soul back home.

"And I just appeal to the witnesses to come forward so my son can rest in peace."

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