Court delivers open verdict on cadet officer’s death

IPOH: A four-year inquest into the death of a naval cadet officer during training has concluded with a coroner court giving an open verdict.

Throughout the inquest which began in September 2019, the court heard a number of possibilities that led to the death of J. Soosaimanicckam during training at the Lumut navy base.

This included testimonies that he was beaten and not given prompt medical treatment.

Others testified about his larger frame and that he got tired faster, unable to complete a task given compared to other cadets.

“Despite there being so many contradictory possibilities, the court finds that in the negative, and therefore this is an open verdict,” said Sessions Court judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamad, who sat as the coroner.

She pointed out that the 26-year-old deceased had been unwell two days before his death on May 19, 2018.

On the day of his death, she said that he had defecated in his pants, fell unconscious and was brought to the Lumut Armed Forces Hospital where he died.

“The cause of his death is established as pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs),” she said when delivering her judgment yesterday.

The Coroner’s Court has been probing the cause of the cadet’s death during his training stint at the naval base.

He had reported for duty on May 12, a week before he died.

Zaid Abd Malek and Mahajoth Singh, who are part of Lawyers for Liberty, represented Soosaimanicckam’s family, Evangelin Simon Silvaraj prosecuted and lawyer Cheang Lek Choy held a watching brief for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

When met outside of the courtroom, Soosaimanicckam’s father S. Joseph, 70, said his family was not satisfied with the verdict.

“I cannot accept the verdict. I will not just stop here. I want justice for my son,” he said.

Joseph said his two sons and him had been travelling from Klang, Selangor, to attend the court hearings here over the years.Those responsible for his death should be punished accordingly, he added.

Mahajoth said they would likely seek an an appeal against the verdict.

He also pointed out the different accounts from two groups of people who had encountered Soosaimanicckam – those who had left the navy and those still with the navy now.

Zaid said the cause of death was listed as pulmonary oedema “but what caused this is left unaddressed”.

“The victim was given a clear bill of health before joining training, but just a week into training, he died,” he said.

After discussing with the family members, he said they would probably file an appeal at the High Court.