THINGS would have been different if the attack had not taken place but today we have lost a loving soul and a fatherly figure in Thava Sagayam. These are the poignant words of the deceased’s nephew, Nelson Raj Nathan.

The 64-year-old Thava was assaulted by a homestay guest at a condominium in Ipoh, Perak, late last year. He died at his home on Friday after months of suffering from multiple complications due to the injuries sustained in the attack.

Thava worked as a security guard at the condominium.

Video clips of the assault had gone viral on social media following his death.

According to Nelson, Thava was a very dedicated, loving and compassionate man who was contented with what he had in life.

Having married in 2003 to Philomena Edward, now 59, the couple have no children and had looked after Nelson and his three sisters.

“My aunt has now become a widow because of someone’s reckless action. A family is broken and destroyed. My aunt is suffering alone while the perpetrator is walking free as he was given bail,” Nelson told The Malaysian Insight.

Nelson said Thava loved pets and had adopted three stray dogs.

He said that in the early days, Thava ran his own business, selling ice-cream and bread, for around 20 years before he became a security guard in 2015.

Although it was a 12-hour job, Nelson said his uncle was very dedicated and was the sole breadwinner for the family as his wife had lost her job at a factory due to the epidemic.

It was reported that Thava sustained head injuries during the December 29 assault by the guest following an argument.

Thava was found by a worker at the condominium bleeding from his head and was rushed to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in a semi-conscious state.

A post-mortem showed that he died of sepsis but the family insisted it was the assault which landed him in hospital and subsequently brought on the infections.

Nelson said his uncle had a clean bill of health before he was assaulted and that the attack caused him to become bedridden.

“My uncle was very active and healthy for his age. Unlike my aunt, he had no medical conditions like diabetes, high-blood pressure and so on.

“As a consequence of the attack and the injuries sustained, my uncle had to undergo surgery eight times on the right side of his brain and he became completely bedridden.

“He later died of sepsis but what caused it in the first place? It was the assault that caused all the complications and resulted in his vegetative state.

“If that assault had not taken place, my uncle would probably be alive today,” he said.

Family wants justice, compensation

Nelson, who is now providing for the family, said his aunt has no financial support after his uncle’s tragedy..

“My uncle was earning around RM1,500 from his security job and they were living on that.

“He had been bedridden for close to eight months and my aunt used up her savings. She has nothing left. She also cannot go to work because she is not medically fit,” he said.

In such a situation, he said, the family wants justice.

“The culprit must be detained and given the appropriate sentence for what he did to my uncle.

“My aunt, who has gone through so much, must also be compensated,” Nelson said.

Meanwhile, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran had urged the public prosecutor to withdraw the assault charge against the perpetrator and slap him with a murder charge instead.

He said Philomena approached DAP for legal help to which the party had agreed.

“As the victim has succumbed to death due to the injuries sustained, I urge the deputy public prosecutor to instruct the police to carry out a thorough investigation again and to reclassify this case to murder.

“In view of the changed circumstances, namely the death, the earlier case in court needs to be withdrawn and the aggressor charged with murder.”

Perak police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the guest was charged on January 6 this year under Section 335 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt.

He said the case will be brought up again at the magistrate’s court in Ipoh on September 9 for a decision.

Reports stated that the suspect was identified as Noor Azhar Muhammad, reportedly a Kota Baru Bersatu Youth division member. – August 30, 2021.