Paint attacker pleads guilty, ‘remorseful’

Pietermaritzburg — A Northdale man, Shadrack Wayne Naidoo, 25, has pleaded guilty in the regional court to assaulting Malawian Bilal Asan by “hitting him with an axe and spraypainting him with white paint”. Naidoo was given a wholly suspended sentence of two years’ imprisonment for his crime.

His co-accused in the case, Avikar Lutchman, 27, has pleaded not guilty and his trial was separated from that of Naidoo.

Lutchman’s trial is still pending. In his written statement, Naidoo admitted that he was guilty of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. He said he formed a common purpose with Lutchman to assault Asan on January 7 this year.

The incident took place at number 24 Violet Road.

He said he had gone with Lutchman to the premises in order for Lutchman to collect some money from “Bilal”.

On arrival at the premises, he said Lutchman saw a man, Philandran Chetty, who had previously worked on his motor vehicle and allegedly stole certain parts from the vehicle.

“The two then had an argument and my former co-accused assaulted Philandren Chetty with water pump pliers. We then left,” said Naidoo.

He said, however, that shortly thereafter they returned to 24 Violet Road, having received a call from “Bilal” asking them to return and collect the money.

“Upon our return … an argument then ensued between my former co-accused and the complainant, Bilal Asan. I then subdued the complainant [Asan] by holding him. Whilst holding him my former co-accused struck him with an object which [it] has now been brought to my attention was an axe. My former co-accused then put white paint on the complainant.

“While in Violet Road we were then arrested,” said Naidoo in his plea. He said he admitted that he acted in common purpose with Lutchman and that his actions were “wrongful, unlawful and intentional”.

He told the court he was remorseful for what he did.

Shortly after the incident in January, The Witness published a photograph of the victim still covered in white paint and seated in a wheelchair at Northdale Hospital. — Al Jazeera.