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SINGAPORE: The Attorney General’s Office (AGC) issued a statement on Tuesday (October 20) clarifying the charges reduced in the Orchard Towers case, which initially saw seven people charged with the murder of a 31-year-old man.
Tan Sen Yang, Joel Tan Yun Sheng, Chan Jia Xing, Ang Da Yuan, Loo Boon Chong, Tan Hong Sheng, and Natalie Siow Yu Zhen were charged in July last year with the common intention of murdering Satheesh Noel Gobidass, of 31 years.
Of the seven, only Tan Sen Yang faces the capital charge of murder. He was transferred to Superior Court on Tuesday (October 20) and is charged with causing the death of Mr. Satheesh Noel by using a karambit knife with the intention of causing multiple injuries to the victim’s head and neck area. .
The other six had their charges reduced and four cases were closed. The cases against two men, Tan Hong Sheng and Loo, are ongoing.
LEE: Defendant in Orchard Towers murder case arrested after bail is skipped, slapped with a new charge in court
“AGC has received inquiries regarding the charges against various people involved in the above incident and would like to clarify the matter,” the prosecution said.
In the early hours of July 2, 2019, the group of seven were drinking at Naughty Girl Club on the second floor of Orchard Towers. Tan Sen Yang had “at one point” supposedly placed the knife on the table and this was seen by some in the group.
As the group left the building, Mr. Satheesh Noel confronted them.
ANG, SIOW AND JOEL TAN WITH REDUCED CHARGES
Tan Sen Yang, Ang, Siow, and Joel Tan fought the victim, and Tan Sen Yang allegedly cut the victim a few times.
The other three, namely Chan, Tan Hong Sheng and Loo, “were not involved in the fight or had tried to stop it,” the AGC said on Tuesday.
Ang, Siow and Joel Tan admitted to kicking and hitting Mr. Satheesh Noel during the fight.
“However, there was no prior plan to attack him,” the AGC said.
“The entire incident, from the moment of the initial confrontation to the moment the deceased collapsed, lasted less than a minute. They also didn’t know that Tan would use a weapon during the fight. “
Their actions resulted in two abrasions on the victim’s upper body, which were “minor and non-fatal in nature,” the AGC said, adding that there was insufficient evidence to show that they “intended to cause more than simple harm.” .
Ang, Siow and Joel Tan were charged with willfully causing harm with common intent.
Since Ang and Siow had remained in Tan’s company despite knowing that he was carrying the karambit knife, they were both charged with associating with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place.
READ: Orchard Towers Death – First Two Men Convicted for Role in Fatal Fight
ANG, SIOW AND JOEL SO DAMNED
On the basis of abrasions alone, the “ordinary sentencing fee” for willfully causing harm with common intent would have been a fine, the AGC said.
This falls into the lower bracket of a fine or imprisonment of up to four weeks, based on the guidelines of a previous case.
“Due to the group violence and the public’s concern over having developed the fight with many members of the public present, balanced with the conviction of the accused, the sentence of one month in prison was requested for Joel Tan and Siow respectively for this charge, ”said the Prosecutor’s Office.
“As Ang was tracked down with a violent record, a two-month prison sentence was requested on this charge.”
On the charge of fraternizing with a person who carried an offensive weapon in public, the prosecution requested six months in jail and six strokes of the cane for Ang.
As Siow cannot be punished for being a woman, a three-month increase was requested, bringing the total sentence requested to nine months in total.
These judgments requested by the prosecution were in line with the Court’s guidance on Sentencing Practice in Subordinate Courts, the AGC said.
Ang was sentenced to eight months in prison and six strokes of the baton, and his sentences on both charges ran consecutively.
Siow, who had no prior convictions, was sentenced to five months in jail in addition to the 107 days she had previously spent in pretrial detention.
Joel Tan, who had no prior convictions, was sentenced to one month in jail.
READ: Woman originally charged with murder in Orchard Towers case receives 5 months in jail for degraded crimes
CONDITIONAL WARNING FOR CHAN
Chan, who was not involved in the fight, received a 12-month suspended warning for his charge of associating with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place.
The AGC said it had considered the facts of the case and Chan’s involvement, including that he “tried to stop the attack” against Satheesh Noel, as well as his cooperation with police investigations.
The prosecution said he ordered the police to give him the warning and that the charge against Chan can be revived if he relapses within the 12-month period.
READ: Man originally charged with murder in Orchard Towers case receives conditional warning for reduced charge
TWO CASES OF PENDING MEN
Tan Hong Sheng and Loo’s cases remain in court.
Tan Hong Sheng faces one charge of fraternizing with a person who carries an offensive weapon in a public place, while Loo faces one charge of fraternizing with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place and one charge of perverting the course of the act. Justice.
