River Valley High student who murdered schoolmate gets 16 years’ jail after losing appeal

River Valley High student who murdered schoolmate lost appeal for shorter jail term

On Wednesday (23 Oct), the River Valley High School (RVHS) student who murdered his schoolmate back in July 2021 lost his appeal for a shorter jail term.

Last December, the now 19-year-old boy, who was 16 years old when he committed the crime, was sentenced to 16 years’ jail.

According to ChannelNewsAsia (CNA), the boy later appealed for a shorter jail sentence of eight to 10 years.

The Court of Appeal has since dismissed the boy’s appeal on the grounds that he was aware of the nature and wrongfulness of his actions when committing the crime.

Court of Appeal backs initial sentence

The Court of Appeal overseeing the case comprised Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Justices Belinda Ang and Woo Bih Li.

Chief Justice Menon delivered the verdict to dismiss the RVHS student’s appeal, stating the boy’s plan was “a tragically ill-conceived” one.

He explained that a key factor in the appeal was the extent to which the offender’s mental condition might reduce his culpability.

“While this did not affect his understanding of what was right or wrong, or his ability to control his actions, it did affect his response to the plight that he thought he faced,” Chief Justice Menon said.

He said the boy experienced “depressive feelings and suicidal ideation”. As a result of his mental state, he struggled to “develop a viable set of options” to deal with the issues.

In addition, the boy’s response to his plight was also “adversely affected” by his exposure to violent videos as well as his unwillingness to seek help from others.

Depression contributed to killing, but other factors also at play

While the boy appeared to be in remission during his remand, the Chief Justice said it was “not possible to arrive at a longer-term prognosis”.

The boy had “consciously decided to kill in school” as he believed his chances of killing someone before being restrained would be higher there as compared to public spaces.

Additionally, he carefully selected weapons, testing and sharpening them before the murder.

He also had photographs of the school’s floor plan on his mobile phone to select a place far from his classroom as the murder site.

“It seems to us that the degree and extent of planning and preparation that was undertaken by (the offender) went well beyond that seen in many of the precedents,” the Chief Justice said.

The boy had also written poems which alluded to mass killings in school, seemingly “enthralled by the idea of a school killing and the notoriety it could bring him”.

The court eventually found that while the boy’s depression contributed to the killing, there were also other factors at play.

Boy suffered from major depression, but retained control of his actions

The boy was initially charged with murder. However, his sentence was reduced to culpable homicide not amounting to murder after he was assessed to be suffering from major depressive disorder.

The disorder significantly affected his ability to decide if his actions were wrong.

An Institute of Mental Health (IMH) report stated that despite his condition, the boy retained control over his actions. He also understood that the crime he committed was morally and legally wrong.

Justice Hoo Sheau Peng, who sentenced the boy to 16 years in jail, said the teenager “exhibited a chilling degree of premeditation and cold logic” in planning and preparing for the murder, reports CNA.

“His entire plan was premised on his keen awareness that what he planned to do would be so outrageous and horrific that it could not but incite a lethal response from law enforcement officers,” she said.

Also read: River Valley High Student Pleads Guilty To 2021 Axe Killing, Sentenced To 16 Years’ Jail

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Featured image adapted from YouTube.