Tan Sen Yang, the seventh and final accused in the fatal fight at Orchard Towers in July 2019, has been sentenced to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane for the murder of Satheesh Noel Gobidass. The prosecution did not seek the death penalty for Tan, who was the only one left with a murder charge after the other six accused had their charges reduced.
According to CNA, The prosecution argued that Tan’s actions were not accidental or misintended, as he had been in possession of a karambit knife throughout the entire time he was at Orchard Towers and repeatedly punched the victim while holding the knife. The prosecution called for life imprisonment and at least 15 strokes of the cane.
Tan’s defence lawyers attempted to show reasonable doubt as to whether he inflicted the fatal wound, arguing that another accused, Chan, had been observed holding a black object in his hand. The defence also argued that Tan should be convicted of culpable homicide due to his mental conditions, which they claimed meant he had diminished responsibility for his actions.
However, the judge, Aedit Abdullah, ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and rejected the defence’s arguments. Abdullah noted that the CCTV footage showed Chan holding an e-cigarette and that more than one cut could have been inflicted by a blow in the fight. Abdullah also rejected the defence’s argument that Tan had diminished responsibility due to his mental conditions, reported Straits Times.
On the day of the murder, Tan was visiting the Naughty Girl Club at Orchard Towers with his friends and was in possession of a karambit knife. A dispute with another group of people escalated into a fight, during which Tan punched the victim three times while holding the knife. Tan’s group then left Orchard Towers, and later that day, Tan learned that Satheesh had died and surrendered himself to the police.
The other six accused in the incident were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and strokes of the cane.