Mother has yet to meet son under observation at Sentosa Hospital
KUCHING: The mother of a young man who pleaded guilty to uploading on social media, offensive materials on Islam and Prophet Muhammad last month, has not been able to meet her son since he was sent to Sentosa Hospital for psychiatric observation
Alen Rijod said she tried to meet her son, Alister Corgia, four times at the hospital but was not allowed entry.
“I went there and tried to see him but the warden said the doctor in-charge does not allow anyone to see him. So, all I did was sent him food through the warden,” she said when met at her home in Singai, Bau, yesterday.
She last tried to visit him last Sunday.
On her son’s condition, she said the doctor in-charge told her that he would not appear in court as expected on April 16 as there is still not enough evidence, and the hospital would request to extend the observation for another month.
The doctor also informed her to meet him for a discussion on Wednesday at the hospital, which she plans to do so with her brother in-law, Wadel (husband’s brother), as her husband is working offshore and only comes back every six months.
A doctor from the hospital also visited the family to get Alister’s history and talk to family members on his behaviour, one week after the court order.
On his previous behaviour, she said they just tolerated him when he was younger, but as he grew older, he got more out of control when he got angry. He would hit the wall, kick furniture, slam doors, shout at family members, she said.
Thus, everyone just let him be and try to not to aggravate him.
During the previous interview last month, she said he had a handphone and would play with it all day in his room alone, and seldom went out.
“His father got him the phone when he was 16 because he asked for one. It also has a SIM card. We thought he just wanted to use it to play games, not post insults on social media,” she said.
If he went out, it’s just to buy cigarettes at one of the shops in the village, and back home, she said.
Asked on the rest of the family’s reaction to his arrest, she said they were shocked and sad even though he was like that.
“One of my other children got so upset and refused to eat when they found out their brother was arrested.”
The rest of the household include her mother and her three school-going children. Her eldest son is working in Kuala Lumpur while her husband is seldom home due to work. Alister is her second child.
Alister was arrested by the police and taken from the family home on March3. The family only found out what he did after his court appearance a few days later.
Alister pleaded guilty before Sessions Court Judge Jason Juga on Mar 8, to five charges under Section 298A (1) (a) of the Penal Code and five charges under Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998. He was sentenced to a total of 10 years and RM50,000fine for all 10 charges. He was unrepresented.
The family is assisted by Batu Lintang assemblyman, See Chee How and a team of lawyers who visited the family the day after his initial sentencing on Mar 9.
See then applied for a revision of the case on March 12, and Judge Azahari Kamal Ramli issued the order for Alister, 22, to be referred to Sentosa Hospital to be observed for a month on March 13.