Stabbed, bludgeoned father of three
IT WAS a bitter-sweet moment when two Phoenix teenagers were sentenced for the November 2017 robbery and murder of an elderly man.
On Thursday, Ashley Veerasamy was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for the murder of Joshua Pillay, and 10 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Both sentences will run concurrently.
His former girlfriend and co-accused, Abigail Pillay, who was found guilty on the robbery count, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Veerasamy, 19, of Stonepark, and Abigail, 19, of nearby Quailpalm, were arrested in connection with the death of 64-year-old Joshua Pillay.
The father-of-three was stabbed and bludgeoned with a spade in his Palmview, Phoenix, home. He died in hospital a few days later.
The couple stole a laptop and cellphone from his home.
His son, Trevor William, said the family were unhappy with the sentence.
“Their ages were taken into consideration and they were given a lenient sentence. The fact is, they were 18 and adults and should have known better. We’re disappointed in the justice system, as they took the life of a defenceless elderly man and destroyed our family.
“I lost two parents within a few months. My mother couldn’t cope with my dad’s death and was ill. My son, who found his grandfather, still cannot get the picture out of his mind. It’s unfair. Their families can still go meet them (in jail) and they will be released in a few years, but we’ll never get our father back.”
Veerasamy and Abigail’s families declined to comment.
In handing down the sentence in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court, magistrate Nokwazi Sosibo said the court hoped the accused understood that for any chance of rehabilitation, the first step was to admit liability and to show remorse for one’s actions.
“In the probation officer’s report, accused two (Abigail), tried to portray herself as innocent in all what happened and was only given the laptop by accused one (Veerasamy). The undertone of the report: she appears to blame the deceased and (the) accused one as if she was an innocent bystander.
“The court also found it very hard to find sincere evidence that was led by accused one. There was no level of remorse detected.”
Sosibo said there were, however, compelling and substantial circumstances to deviate from the minimum sentences prescribed by the Criminal Law Amendment Act.
“Although the court does not have any evidence of remorse, because of the youthfulness of the accused there is a high probability that they are capable of rehabilitation.
“They are still capable of being moulded on how to act, to behave and to be integrated into society.
“The court also has to be cautious not to throw away the key, if there is a great probability of rehabilitation.”
The magistrate told the court that the accused had brought heartache not only to Pillay’s family but to their own.
Earlier in the trial, in his not-guilty plea statement, Veerasamy claimed he acted in self-defence.
He said Abigail had dropped her cellphone in a taxi they had been travelling in.
Veersamy claimed Pillay, who lived in the same area as them, had picked it up. They then went to Pillay’s home.
While Veersamy was outside smoking, he heard Abigail scream from inside. He found her lying on the bed and Pillay standing over her with a knife.
During a scuffle, Veerasamy retaliated by stabbing Pillay in the neck and struck him twice on the back of the head with a spade that was in the room.
However, the court rejected his version.
The accused, who were in custody, would serve their sentences at the Westville Prison.