- guardian.co.uk, Thursday June 15 2000 17.08 BST
A gang of four youths attacked the stepfather outside the hospital only hours after she was assaulted outside her home in Newport.
Gwent police are treating the attack on Jan Marthin Pasalbessi, 48, which took place outside the Royal Gwent hospital in Newport, south Wales, on Monday evening, as a racially motivated assault.
Mr Pasalbessi, who was born in Indonesia, had taken his stepdaughter, Christina, who is white, to the hospital for treatment to a facial cut after rescuing her from a racist attack just hours earlier.
While they waited in the hospital's casualty department, at about 10.45pm, they were spotted by one of the youths who had assaulted Christina outside her home in Newport. The youth and his friends threatened and verbally abused Mr Pasalbessi. Security guards were called to help, but when Mr Pasalbessi tried to escape his attackers, he was thrown into the road outside the hospital entrance.
The gang then punched and kicked him as he lay on the ground, while his stepdaughter watched.
Hospital staff were eventually able to rescue the victim and he was treated for what police have described as "horrific" head injuries. He was later transferred to the university hospital in Cardiff, where he died on Tuesday afternoon.
Detective Superintendent Des James, of Newport police, who is leading the inquiry, said yesterday: "This was a dreadful incident made all the worse because the daughter he doted on witnessed it.
"The father and daughter were very close. He had taken her to hospital to receive treatment after she was attacked in the street."
He confirmed that the attacks on Mr Pasalbessi and his stepdaughter were being treated as racially aggravated crimes.
Christina, who has lived with her stepfather since her mother died five years ago, was last night being looked after by police officers.
Relatives of Mr Pasalbessi were yesterday travelling from Holland.
Police said the family had recently moved to their home in Pill after being driven out of their house in Duffryn, Newport, by racial abuse from neighbours.
They were "very happy" at their new home until Monday, when Christina was victimised because of her father's skin colour. She was assaulted by a group of white youths and received a cut to her face.
Police, who have been examining CCTV footage from the hospital, have appealed for patients and visitors to come forward with information.
Three males, aged 15, 17, and 21, and a woman of 19, were held overnight at Newport Central police station for questioning. A fifth person who was arrested has now been released.
