In February 2022, the incident involving Soo Cheow Wee, a 50-year-old man shot by the police in Clementi, shocked the nation.
Recently, his jail term was reduced from 33 months to 27 months after a successful appeal.
The event unfolded when Soo Cheow Wee charged at the police with a knife, leading to the use of lethal force by the officers. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 33 months in jail by the district judge.
Appeals from Prosecution and Defense
Both the prosecution and Soo’s lawyer, Chooi Jing Yen, filed appeals against the initial sentence, each seeking different outcomes. The prosecution urged for at least five years of corrective training or between 57 and 63 months of imprisonment. On the other hand, Soo’s defense counsel asked for a reduction to not more than 23 months in jail.
On Jul. 31, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon delivered the verdict, reducing Soo’s sentence following the appeal. The High Court found that the district judge had not adequately considered Soo’s mental conditions while imposing the original jail term.
Soo’s Mental Conditions
Reports from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) revealed that Soo Cheow Wee suffered from three mental conditions: schizophrenia, polysubstance dependence, and psychosis. These conditions significantly impacted his mental state and behavior.
Psychosis is described as a state in which a person loses touch with reality, experiencing disturbances in perception and judgment. It is not a specific illness but a syndrome that affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, communication, and behavior.
According to the reports, Soo’s psychosis was believed to be triggered by his use of drugs and other substances that exacerbated his mental health issues.
Recap
Soo was accused of slashing a 41 year old man who is a stranger to him along Block 402A Clementi Avenue 1 on 17 Feb at around 8:40pm.
He then took a taxi to Clementi Police Division and charged forward with the intention of attacking a 20 year old man with a knife.
Despite repeated attempts at getting him to drop the weapon, Soo refused and charged at an officer with the knife in his hand.
The officer then opened fire at Soo, hitting him on his left arm.