KANGAR: The mother of slain former rider Elly Idzlianizar Elias, 40, described the deceased as a filial son and a doting father to his children.
Fadzilah Bakar, 61, said her eldest child was not a violent person despite suffering nerve complications from an injury sustained during his illustrious cub prix riding career.
"He was not an aggressive person and never caused trouble to anyone. He preferred to stay at home, spending time with me and his children when he was not working," she said in between sobs at her home in Taman Fauziah here.
Fadzilah said Elly was a peaceful person by nature and never kicked up a fuss with others.
"He had a collection of racing helmets which he treasured, especially the one presented by former ace racer Valentino Rossi.
"At one time, his friend borrowed one of his prized helmets, but he never made a fuss about it. There was another occasion when another friend borrowed and damaged his car, but he never scolded the person," she said.
She added that Elly had suffered a broken spine during his riding career and underwent surgery for the injury.
"That injury left him with unstable emotions at times, but he never caused trouble for anyone," she said.
Recalling her final moments with Elly on Tuesday evening, Fadzillah said her son told her he wanted to go to a nearby grocery shop.
"Usually, he would bring his daughter Lola along, but he did not take her that evening. I walked him to the car, and he kissed my hand before leaving.
"I was anxious when he failed to return home by midnight. My world crumbled when I got a phone call from his sister, informing me that Elly had died from slash wounds sustained in a fight," she said.
Fadzilah said Elly had recently told her that he had a dream of meeting his late grandparents. He said in the dream, they had asked him to follow them.
"He told them that he couldn't as he had to take care of me and his children. Just imagine how devastated I am upon learning that he is gone. I pray that justice will prevail for my son," she said.
Fadzilah said Elly is survived by five children aged between 4 and 16 from his two previous marriages. She said upon retiring as a rider in 2017, Elly had been doing all sorts of jobs, including training cub prix talents in Perlis to support his children.
Yesterday (Sept 12), police revealed that Elly had died from slash wounds sustained in a fight with three men in Taman Behor Gonchar Jaya on Tuesday evening (Sept 10).
Kangar police chief Assistant Commissioner Yusharifuddin Mohd Yusop said a post-mortem showed that the victim had died from a dozen slash wounds.
Police have since detained three men, including a 51-year-old man, his 31-year-old son and a 28-year-old man following the incident.
All three suspects had previous criminal records, including drug-related offences and attempted murder.
Police also seized a 112cm-long "Samurai" sword believed to be the murder weapon.
Known as a highly talented rider, Elly first made a name for himself in the local Cub Prix racing scene. Having won several championships with various manufacturers, including
Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki, Elly was selected to participate in the nation's "wildcard" rider search programme to compete in the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.