Mother relives her trauma and crushing sorrow

KUALA LUMPUR: The death of her firstborn Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain was unbearable for 58-year-old Hawa Osman, who cried so much over her loss until she developed a serious cataract.

Hawa, who took the stand to read out her victim impact statement (VIS), said Zulfarhan’s death at 21 had affected her and her family greatly.

A VIS is a statement given by the victim or a member of the victim’s family to the court prior to sentencing to express how a particular crime has affected them.

The mother of four, who was holding back her tears while reading her heart-wrenching statement in court yesterday, said if Zulfarhan was alive today, he would have helped the family raise his younger siblings as her husband was retired while she worked as a school clerk.

“The loss has affected both my husband and I as we had hoped he would take care of us in our golden years.

“I have prolonged sadness whenever his name is mentioned. He was the first symbol of the love between me and my husband in this marriage,” she said.

Hawa said she became traumatised over the incident and it was hard for her to let her other children leave home even for their tertiary education because she was worried such an incident would recur.

She was also too traumatised to allow her other children to join uniformed bodies as she already had a negative opinion due to the incident that had robbed her of her son.

Hawa wanted the court to mete out a sentence that befits the crime, against the accused persons who caused her loss.

“I hope the sentence would open the eyes and minds of society so that such an incident will not happen to other parents,” she said.

According to Hawa, Zulfarhan got along well with other family members and his presence would cheer up the house.

Losing him was a painful memory and hard for her to accept.

“Although he has been gone for four years, to me, it feels like yesterday. I cannot forget what happened and it always plays in my mind,” she added.