This was stated by the parent of a boy charged together with three others with murdering T Nhaveen two weeks ago.
The father said the mounting anger of netizens over the case had come in the form of threats and stares. This had kept him cooped up at home.
He was also upset at the “trial-by-Facebook” and nasty WhatsApp messages circulating, spreading untruths about the case.
“Why is the media doing this to us? It is so unfair as no one has come to us to ask what we thought.
“Thanks to reports of ‘sodomy’ and other terrible things, all guns are pointed at us.
“Why can’t reporters ask us how we feel?
“Why can’t they leave it to the court to decide?” the father said in tears when met at the court complex before the four teens were charged.
Meanwhile, a mother of another accused said she knew Nhaveen well and broke down when she heard about the incident.
“You know, Nhaveen boy is like my own child. I know him very well. When he died, we were all devastated.
“All the media reports on this have been biased,” she said.
Another parent said they were going to lodge an official complaint with the Bar Council as their earlier lawyer engaged refused to represent them “half-way” through.
“We paid RM2,000 in fees. Aren’t lawyers like doctors? They have to serve all regardless of what kind of crime or illness.”
The parents spoke to FMT on the condition of anonymity.
Initially, five suspects were arrested by police to be investigated after Nhaveen and his friend T Previin were assaulted.
Police classified the case as murder after Nhaveen died on Thursday. Previin is recovering from surgery to his broken cheekbones.
Today, it was revealed that one of the suspects, an 18-year-old, was released on police bond under Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The same person is expected to be the prosecution’s witness in the case.
Meanwhile, the other four teens were charged with the murder of Nhaveen and grievous assault of Previin.
The four pleaded not guilty to the grievous assault and were told to engage counsel.
On June 9, Nhaveen and Previin, who worked as promoters at Aeon Queensbay, had returned home in Gelugor after completing their night shift.
After stopping for a bite at a burger shop near their home, they were harassed by two other youths, believed to be their former schoolmates, on a motorcycle.
The youths called three others for backup.
Previin managed to escape while Nhaveen was taken to a field on Jalan Kaki Bukit, about five minutes away, where he was tortured and hit with crash helmets.
I’m no longer acting for the four, says lawyer in Nhaveen murder