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The attacker in a 2016 fatal assault in Yishun was sentenced yesterday to four years in jail.
District Judge Tan Jen Tse last month found Ryan Xavier Tay Seet Choong, now 24, guilty of willfully causing serious harm to Mr. Shawn Ignatius Rodríguez, 26, who died after the September 9 attack. July 2016.
Judge Tan had also found Tay’s stepfather, Lawrence Lim Peck Beng, now 59, guilty of inciting his stepson to commit the crime. Lim was sentenced yesterday to eight months in jail.
Before handing down the sentences, Judge Tan said that the attack on Mr. Rodríguez was “sustained and prolonged.” But he noted that Rodríguez had “incessantly harassed” the couple and their family, causing anguish.
Tay and Lim took matters into their own hands in 2016 after Rodriguez persisted in visiting their apartment even after the family filed more than 50 police reports against him.
Things took a tragic turn on July 9 of that year when Tay assaulted Mr. Rodríguez, who later died of traumatic asphyxia with a head injury. Mr. Rodriguez was doing his national service with the Republic of Singapore Air Force at the time.
Assistant Prosecutors Wong Kok Weng, Jason Chua, and Chong Kee En had stated in their filings that Rodriguez and Tay met in 2006 when they were altar boys at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Yishun.
But Tay left eight years later because he felt Rodriguez was “obsessed” with him.
Rodriguez then tried to reach Tay by making frequent phone calls and began wandering the empty terrace of Tay’s home in the 279 block of 22 Yishun Street.
Rodríguez went to the block on July 9, 2016.
Prosecutors had previously said: “At approximately 7.40 pm, (Mr. Rodríguez) came back. Lawrence opened the door and yelled at (him) for about five minutes and opened the door with the intention of physically involving him.
“At this point, Ryan left the unit and (Mr. Rodriguez) started to run away. Ryan chased him down the hall and up the stairs on landing B of the elevator.”
A fight broke out and Mr. Rodríguez was immobilized. Later, the police arrived at the scene and a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defense Force declared him dead at around 8.30 pm.
Tay and Lim were offered bail of $ 15,000 each yesterday.
They will have to turn themselves in in state court on October 20 to begin serving their sentences.
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