Father of dead doctor dies before court decision on suing govt

A father who had sought to sue the government over the death of his doctor son has himself died before he could learn whether he would be permitted to carry on his legal battle.

Joseph Anthony was buried yesterday “near his son” Dr Sebastian Joseph, according to Joseph’s lawyer, M Visvanathan, in a social media post.

Sebastian, 30, a medical officer at the Kuah health clinic in Langkawi, was found dead at his quarters in Padang Matsirat in November 2010, and was said to have been found kneeling with his hands clenched.

A coroner’s court issued an open verdict, concluding that the inquest conducted failed to definitively determine the cause of death.

Joseph sued the government for negligence, seeking damages for the failure to conduct a thorough investigation as well as reimbursement for costs incurred in commissioning a second autopsy.

The case was dismissed by the High Court and later by the Court of Appeal on the grounds that the suit was time-barred, having been filed outside the prescribed statutory period.

However, in January this year, the Federal Court agreed to consider whether Joseph may bring a suit in his personal capacity.