Arsonist who attacked son, sent for mental evaluation

Muzliza Mustafa

The 53-year-old tailor who had attacked his son before setting his Taman Serdang Utama home on fire on July 22 was sent for mental evaluation to the Tanjung Rambutan hospital in Perak on Tuesday.

Serdang police chief Assistant Commissioner Abdul Razak Elias said they will decide on the next course of action after receiving the report from the hospital.

Meanwhile MCA Serdang branch chairman Datuk Liew Yuen Keong said the department had helped in arranging a meeting between the tailor and his family just before he was sent to the hospital.

“They met and talked about what had happened. The suspect apologised to his children and wife. He even hugged his son apologised for hurting him in the incident,” Liew told reporters at his branch office in Seri Kembangan yesterday.

Liew said the department will also help the family get assistance from the Welfare Department as they are in need of financial aid.

“They have lost their main source of income. They also lost their home. In times like this, they need all the help they can get to move on,” said Liew who also gave the family a RM1,000 donation.

The suspect’s 50-year-old wife also expressed her frustrations over articles on the incident claiming that the suspect was drunk and had seriously injured his son.

“My husband was not drunk. He was just stressed over some family matters and my son only sustained minor injuries,” she claimed.

The woman’s daughter, Wong Siew Ting, 27, said they were not interviewed by any reporter and were shocked when the reports came out.

“We are here today to clear the air. We want to move on and to continue with our lives. We wish to put all these behind us,” she said.

Talking about her father, Wong said he had been depressed for a while and was on anti-depressant pills for the past 10 years.

“He was depressed over family related matters. He is our father and we forgive him for what he did. He did not mean to injure anyone. He needs help to get better and we will wait for him to return,” said Wong, a factory worker.

Wong, her siblings and mother are currently staying with their grandmother.

Liew, meanwhile said this was the third reported incident involving a depressed family member in two months.

The first case was in June where a woman killed herself and her two young daughters by setting her house on fire over a family dispute. The second incident occurred a month later when a man with mental problems killed his uncle and aunty over a minor incident.

Liew advised the public to contact the relevant authorities for help if they have an unstable family member who could pose a danger to others.

Arsonist who attacked son, sent for mental evaluation

Muzliza Mustafa

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