BALIK PULAU: We have forgiven our daughter and still love her.

Those were the words of Ong Sea Wah, 55, who was at the magistrate's court here yesterday to post bail for her daughter Jess Teh Hooi Wen.

"She is my only daughter and she is a good girl," said Sea Wah.

Asked about her husband Teh Tatt Beng's remarks at a press conference on July 10, where he publicly disowned Jess, Sea Wah said her husband had uttered those words in the heat of the moment.

"He was angry at the time but he cooled down after that. You must understand that at the time we did not know what had actually happened. We had no communication with her then and what we knew was only what we had read from the Chinese newspapers and heard from others," said Sea Wah.

"My husband is now at work but he will be there to welcome Hooi Wen when her brother and I bring her to him later. However, we will not be taking her home because we fear for her safety. She will be taken somewhere else to stay for now.

"In fact, we did not immediately try to bail her out on Friday because there was such a huge crowd at both the George Town and Balik Pulau courts."

On Friday, Jess, 28, was charged at the Balik Pulau magistrate's court with lodging a false missing person's report about three-year-old Ying Ying at the Bayan Lepas police station on July 6. She was also charged with consuming metamphetamine at the police station on July 9.

Magistrate Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar set bail at RM2,000 and RM3,000 on the respective charge, and fixed hearing for Sept 24.

Sea Wah posted the RM5,000 bail.

At the George Town magistrate?s court yesterday, Jess' brother Lien Wei told a press conference that the family had not engaged lawyer Shaun Tan Kee Shaan to act for her.

"My parents and I retained lawyers Khoo Chye Beng and R. Thinakaran Raman last Wednesday to represent my sister."

Lien Wei was there to post the RM4,000 bail after Jess was jointly charged there with her boyfriend Ong Chee Leong, 28, with possessing 1.5g of cannabis.

Chee Leong was also charged with the murder of Ying Ying. Both cases are fixed for mention on Sept 14.

Tan had acted for the couple at the time.

Sea Wah said she, Lien Wei and their two lawyers were waiting at the Balik Pulau magistrate's court on Friday when Jess was produced at the court in George Town.

Khoo and Thinakaran reminded the public not to harass the Teh family.

"Please remember that Jess has not been charged with her daughter's murder. Leave her and her family alone; let them have their normal lives back."