Man who held knife while punching victim in Orchard Towers murder gets life sentence

Man who held knife while punching victim in Orchard Towers gets life sentence & 12 strokes of cane

A 32-year-old man who held a knife while punching the victim of the fatal Orchard Towers incident has been sentenced to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane.

Previously, six other individuals in the group who attacked the late Mr Satheesh Nodel Gobidass, 31, had their charges downgraded.

Tan Sen Yang was the sole individual in the group who faced the murder charge.

CCTV footage captured man armed with karambit knife during Orchard Towers brawl

During Tan’s trial, High Court prosecutors played CCTV footage showing the group, including Tan, getting into a dispute with patrons outside the Naughty Girl Club in Orchard Towers.

At one point, Tan was captured waving a karambit knife.

Following the dispute, Mr Satheesh, who was acquainted with one of the patrons, confronted the group.

An altercation ensued, with Tan holding the knife while punching Mr Satheesh’s face thrice. Tan admitted to doing so.

High Court judge refuted defence lawyer’s arguments

Tan’s lawyers attempted to propose that other group members could be armed during the confrontation.

They highlighted that Mr Chan Jia Xing, another member of the group, was captured holding a black item, The Straits Times (ST) noted.

However, Justice Aedit Abdullah concluded that it was likely an e-cigarette.

In addition, the defence contended that the deceased sustained eight wounds despite Tan only punching him thrice.

This was once again refuted by the judge, who pointed out that the fight was a “dynamic” situation where both parties were moving. Hence, one blow could lead to multiple wounds.

Although Tan was diagnosed with mental health conditions and alcohol-use disorder, these were not accepted as satisfactory reasons as Tan was still “in control of his mental faculties“.

The prosecution did not seek the death penalty for Tan.

Also read: We Fact-Checked The Orchard Towers Murder Case To Separate Fact From Speculation

We Fact-Checked The Orchard Towers Murder Case To Separate Fact From Speculation

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