72-Year-Old Stabbed Son-In-Law At Telok Ayer Street 3 Years Ago, Pleads Guilty
In 2017, a stabbing in broad daylight took place in Telok Ayer, shocking Singapore.
As a result, a 38-year-old man, identified as Spencer Tuppani, had died from his injuries.
3 years after the tragedy occurred, the male suspect Tan Nam Seng, now 72, has pleaded guilty to one count of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Tan was reportedly suffering from major depression at the time. He was extremely upset over Tuppani cheating on his daughter-in-law and taking over his company by force.
Man stabbed son-in-law was having severe depression
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Tan had severe depression around the time of the incident.
The prosecution declared that his mental responsibility was “significantly impaired”, after he had spent too much time thinking about losing his company.
He also couldn’t stop thinking about his daughter’s well-being after she was being cheated on.
Tan’s background was later revealed in-depth in court, as we learnt that before the deceased came into his life, Tan’s company TNS Shipping – founded in 1974 – had expanded over the years.
The port management services firm eventually flourished into a family business, and his 3 daughters were working for him.
Tuppani staged takeover of Tan’s company in 2016
Then, the story of their power struggle unfolded as below:
- Tuppani married Tan’s eldest daughter in 2005
- He was later employed to work for the company too
- He suggested selling the company to a bigger corporation in 2016
- Tan put him in charge of the sale
- Tuppani successfully convinced shareholders – including his wife – to give their shares to him so it would secure his position in the company
After the sale went through, Tuppani ended up being chief executive officer end 2016. Tan, on the other hand, was begrudgingly left with $450,000 from his shares.
Spencer Tuppani
Source
He had expected to receive more, according to The Straits Times.
Tuppani had messy love life with Tan’s daughter
Unfortunately, Tuppani and his wife – who are parents of 3 – had a messy love life. This was no thanks to Tuppani’s extramarital affair with another woman, who birthed him 2 kids.
- Both decided to be divorced
- They still resided together in Tan’s household
- They often had squabbles to do with Tuppani’s takeover of the company
- Tan discovered Tuppani was recording his arguments with his wife
Tan was somehow convinced that Tuppani had sinister intentions — to swindle him of his business by splitting up with his daughter and dominating company shares.
This resulted in him feeling miserable. He couldn’t sleep well at night, and was endlessly in deep thoughts over his son-in-law, reports CNA.
Confronted Tuppani at Telok Ayer coffee shop
On 10 Jul, 2017, Tan confronted Tuppani when the latter was having a meal at a coffee shop in Telok Ayer.
Tan had earlier gone to his office’s pantry to grab a knife, reports The Straits Times. Once he arrived at the coffee shop at around 1.20pm, he stabbed Tuppani.
He had told passers-by this quote that remains chilling to this day,
This is my son-in-law, don’t help him, let him die.
Tan cut an eerie figure as he reportedly sat on a chair calmly after the stabbing, and placed the knife on a table.
As the court has adjourned, we will soon know Tan’s final sentence after both prosecution and defence have prepared their arguments.
The Straits Times reported that the maximum sentence for Tan’s crime is life imprisonment and caning. However, Tan cannot be caned, as he’s above 50.
Family should be a safe haven, not battlefield
When the incident first occurred, many likened the Tans’ family feud to a plot of a Korean melodrama. It’s truly unfortunate, given the fact that family should be a safe haven, not a battlefield.
Despite owning a successful family-run business, the Tans were plagued by internal quarrels and a power struggle.
What Tan did was no doubt cruel, but at least he has owned up to his actions.
Featured image adapted from STOMP and STOMP.
