TAKING up all three rows on the left side of the courtroom, there is love.

The mother, her dark hair pulled back, dabs her eyes with a wet tissue.

Her weeping started many days ago and has not stopped.

Nearby, her sister also dabs at eyes, angry and red. Around them are nieces and nephews, a young girl in a blue dress, restless to play.

Among them sits an uncle, his head up and a look of quiet acceptance here in Courtroom One at Central Local Court.

The uncle is Alfred Palu, a reverend minister with the Anglican Church visiting from New Zealand.

Some weeks ago Mr Palu sat with ministers from the Cecile Gribble Congregation at Dee Why talking about how they could take the church choir into the jails.

His nephew is in the choir.

"Just to do some preaching and singing for the inmates," Mr Palu said. "We didn't know that during this period he is going to be an inmate himself."

A sheriff brings up a young man, Melenga Kanongataa, 19, from the cells below. He wears prison greens and he sits in the dock. A glance at his family brings tears from his mum.

Kanongataa's matter is short.

His lawyer, from Legal Aid, does not seek bail.

The matter is adjourned until March and the young man stands and is taken back down to the cells. The three rows of family rise and make their way out. They were hoping to take him home this day, the uncle says, all too aware plenty of people hope without luck.

Across the world, a family in Nepal hope.


They hope their son Bepin Shrestha, 30, comes out of his coma.

Last Sunday he was walking to work at 4.30am - he cleans three shops in Dee Why's shopping district - when two men allegedly jumped him from behind.

They beat him to the ground, police claim, punching his head and body, and stomped him when they got him there.

He is now in an induced coma in Royal North Shore Hospital. He has fractures to his cheeks and eye sockets. His brain was bleeding when they brought him in.

A 17-year-old youth was bailed after being charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm while in company. He was allegedly in company with Kanongataa, who faces the same charge.

They met the night before.

Kanongataa sang at a wedding, then later at a 21st and after singing he was offered a beer where he met the youth. Many hours later, the alleged ***ault occurred.

Yesterday, police laid fresh charges against the 17-year-old after two men alleged he also attacked them the same morning.

This time bail was refused.

The Dee Why community remains angry about the attack on Mr Shrestha.

He is in Australia to study accountancy and works three jobs to pay for his studies.

He rose before light each morning to wash down the tables and chairs at the centre before leaving to do his studies. In the afternoon he was back to clean the butcher shop before moving on to a pizza shop that finished at 10.30 each night.

When news broke of the alleged ***ault on Wednesday, people began walking into the butcher shop to donate money.

They want to show this is not what Dee Why is about.

Outside Central Local Court on Thursday, a family stood in the courtyard dabbing tears. They want Shrestha's family to know how sorry they are for his injuries.

"We cannot say how sorry we are, and we want the family to know that," Mr Palu said.

"Yes," said his mother, her fragile voice a reminder that decency remains, coming when you have almost given up hope.

Article Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/bepin-shrestha-a-young-life-shattered-by-an-act-of-violence/story-e6freuy9-1225827285619

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