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A 66-year-old man, who killed his mentally ill adult daughter in 2018 after she pointed a knife at him, was released from jail yesterday, the day he was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail.
In sentencing Tan Tian Chye yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Hoo Sheau Peng noted that he had been a “selfless, loving and devoted father” who tirelessly cared for his demanding daughter.
The judge reversed the sentence until November 20, 2018, the day Tan was taken into custody. Given the usual one-third referral for good behavior, Tan was released from prison last night.
This was a tragic case, Judge Hoo said, serving as a stark reminder of the importance of being alert to the mental health of family members and seeking timely treatment. She noted that Tan and his wife had been on the verge of suicide as their daughter became increasingly unreasonable.
Tan’s daughter, Ms. Desiree Tan Jiaping, 35, had reprimanded her parents incessantly, constantly criticizing them and even making them bow down to her.
The unemployed woman also told her parents to transfer their money to her and even told her father, a private driver, that she needed to drive more often to earn more money.
Tan and his wife did their best to appease their daughter, who was diagnosed with a mental disorder but refused treatment. Once, he slapped his wife in front of their daughter to appease her.
On November 19, 2018, Tan told his father that he wanted to kill him and then pointed a knife at him. The couple had a confrontation in the kitchen of their Bedok South apartment, which ended with Tan strangling his daughter.
A psychiatric evaluation found that Tan was suffering from a major depressive episode and significant stress on the caregiver, which substantially affected his responsibility for his actions in killing his daughter.
Tan had pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of wrongful death.
After being sentenced yesterday, he thanked the judge, the prosecutors and his lawyers. “May God bless you all,” he added.
The court had heard that Ms. Tan was unable to keep a full-time job after graduating from college in 2006 and was dependent on her parents to support her. The name of his university was not mentioned in court.
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Judge with jail sentence imposed
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High Court Judge Hoo Sheau Peng accepted the defense arguments that two years and nine months in prison would suffice as punishment for Tan Tian Chye’s acts of causing the loss of life of a loved one.
Judge Hoo noted that the parties were not very far apart in their presentations on a proper sentencing; Prosecutors had asked for three years in jail.
It was inspired by the preceding case of Lim Ah Seng, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in 2007 for strangling his abusive wife.
The judge noted that Tan was at low risk of recidivism and was responding to treatment.
“The defendant will undoubtedly continue to suffer the pain and anguish of his action long after his period of incarceration,” he said.
“I believe it is the wish of everyone present that the defendant, as well as his family, eventually come to terms with what they have been through and experience a measure of closure and healing in their lives.”
Judge Hoo also drew attention to broader mental health issues. “As a society, it is critical to continue efforts to improve and improve access to mental health services,” he said.
“It is regrettable that much-needed help, support and intervention were not requested or received by the Tan family during those years for their daughter and subsequently for the accused.”
Selina Lum
In 2012, she was taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH) after fainting at an MRT station. She was assessed to have panic attacks with agoraphobia, a condition that made her anxious in unfamiliar surroundings, and “hypochondriacal worries.”
From then on, she became very anxious to leave the apartment on her own and her boyfriend moved in with her. She also became more particular, asking her parents to clean the items repeatedly until she was satisfied.
Tan was taking time off work to get her out and help her overcome her anxiety. She also bought a second-hand car, which she allowed her boyfriend to use to get her out.
In 2017, Ms. Tan told her parents that she wanted to apply for a build-to-order apartment with her boyfriend. He insisted that his parents borrow money from relatives and had his younger brother pay him back the $ 50,000 that his parents had spent on his education.
“The deceased became more insistent and abusive, and blamed the defendant and his wife for not loving her and not providing enough,” Deputy Prosecutor Bhajanvir Singh told the court.
Ms. Tan was also upset to discover that she was not the only beneficiary of money from her mother’s Central Provident Fund and scolded her parents until her mother changed the nomination.
In mid-2018, Tan began complaining about the smell of cigarette smoke on the floor and demanded that his parents find the culprit. He also made them buy powerful fans and use cardboard to keep the smoke away.
On October 22 of that year, Tan took her to CGH. She was diagnosed with an unspecified anxiety disorder, but she declined the medication and instead moved to her aunt’s house to escape the smoke.
On November 19, 2018, after Tan picked her up from Auntie’s place, she told him over lunch that she wanted to kill him with a fork.
She continued to scold and curse him on the way home.
When he got home, he went to the kitchen. Tan took a metal pole to arm himself for fear that she would hurt him.
In the kitchen, when he saw her pointing a knife at him, he hit her with the stick and after she fell to the floor, he grabbed a cloth and strangled her with it.
So Tan called the police to report that he had killed his daughter.
When The Straits Times went to the Changi Correctional Complex last night, a gray-haired Tan walked out the prison gate carrying a bag of his belongings, dressed in a red polo shirt and sandals.
He and a woman, who appeared to be in her 50s, exchanged an emotional hug at the door as Tan wiped the tears from his eyes.
They did not respond to questions from The Straits Times and left in a car shortly after.
• Additional information from Jean Iau
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