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Jean Iau
The times of the strait
December 14, 2020
One man among seven people linked to the Orchard Towers murder in July last year pleaded guilty on Monday (December 14) to obstructing justice by disposing of a bloodstained T-shirt worn by another man involved in the incident.
Loo Boon Chong, 27, was initially charged with the murder of Mr. Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31. His charge was later reduced to associating with Tan Sen Yang, 28, who had the karambit knife, a curved blade that resembles a claw, on his person at the time of the fact, as well as another charge to impede justice.
The position of consort will be taken into account for his sentence.
The other members of the group are Tan Hong Sheng, 23; Mr. Chan Jia Xing, 27; Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 24; Joel Tan Yun Sheng, 26; and Ang Da Yuan, 26.
Tan Sen Yang still faces a murder charge. His case and that of Tan Hong Sheng, who is facing a partnership charge, are pending.
On Monday, Loo also pleaded guilty to another count in a separate incident in February, when he played a game of dice in a public place.
Regarding the Orchard Towers incident, the court heard that the group had gone to the Naughty Girl Club on the second floor of the mall in the early morning hours of July 2 of last year.
When Loo left Orchard Towers around 6 a.m. through the ground-floor entrance, Mr. Satheesh came down alone. He had also been to the Naughty Girl Club when an earlier dispute occurred.
Mr. Satheesh confronted a member of Loo’s group and some other members of the group retaliated by attacking him. Loo did not join in this attack.
Deputy Prosecutor Dora Tay noted that during the attack, Tan Sen Yang fatally wounded Mr. Satheesh with the karambit knife, causing multiple head and neck injuries to Mr. Satheesh.
Mr. Satheesh died that same day. According to court documents, the cause of death was a stab in the neck.
After the fight, Loo let Tan Sen Yang shower and change clothes at his house at the latter’s request. Loo also gave him $ 50 for transportation and a pair of slippers.
Later, Loo realized that Tan Sen Yang had left his bloody white T-shirt in his bedroom and thrown it into a common garbage dump.
Police did not find the bloodstained shirt.
Loo is expected to appear in court on January 15 to receive sentencing.
Four other members of the group have been tried in court.
In October, Chan received a conditional warning for associating with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place. A conditional warning does not amount to a conviction or a guilty plea, and it does not leave a criminal record.
If Mr. Chan commits a crime within one year, he can be prosecuted again for the association charge and for the new crime.
In October, Siow was sentenced to five months in prison for assault and being in the company of Tan Sen Yang, who had a karambit knife in his possession.
In March, the office manager Joel Tan was jailed for four weeks for assault, while the hotel receptionist Ang Da Yuan was sentenced to eight months in prison and six strokes of the cane for assault and being in the company of Tan Sen Yang.
The Attorney General’s Office said in October that it had asked police to investigate social media users who alleged that members of the group were given preferential treatment at sentencing because of their race.
He refuted claims that courts impose sentences based on the race of offenders and said he will not hesitate to take action against those who make such allegations.
If Tan Sen Yang is found guilty of murder, he will face the death penalty.
For intentionally obstructing justice, Loo can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.
