Father, 70, stabbed while trying to stop gang from attacking his son

The father and son were stabbed multiple times.

Verulam pensioner, Thungaseelan Manickum, 70, recalled how he was stabbed multiple times when he tried to take the knife from men who attacked and stabbed his son in the CBD yesterday.

Manickum, a retired electrician, and his son Josh Manickum, 33, were stabbed multiple times.

Manickum said he and Josh were about 20 metres away from their driveway in Everest Heights when they became embroiled in an altercation with three men.

“The men walked behind my son and one of them touched him on the shoulder. My son turned around and hit the guy once, which was his immediate reaction to protect himself, as he thought that they were going to steal his wallet or phone. 

“The other two picked up a bottle to attack us. We chased them away showing that we were not scared. They ran away and disappeared through a side street,” said Manickum.

He said he and Josh then continued walking towards the CBD, not thinking they would see the men again.

“We reached Todd Street within 30 minutes. My son was walking a short distance in front of me. 

“The men then walked towards us with speed, pulled out a knife and stabbed my son twice. I went to intervene and stop them from hurting my son.

“I tried to take the knife from them. They stabbed me in the hand and three more times on my left shoulder. The only valuables we had were a cellphone and wallet. Their intention was to take it. We were taken by surprise. It all happened so fast,” recalled Manickum.

“We are not going to pursue this matter any further because our family might be threatened. 

“Josh was mugged twice previously outside our home. We have not reported the incidents because we did not believe the police could do much,” he said.

Manickum said Josh, a driver for an air-conditioning company, was not recovering well. 

He said Josh was in pain most of the time, was confined to the bed, and could not eat properly because he could not swallow food.

Manickum added that he was remaining strong for his family.