Teen Charged With Father’s Murder In Yishun Makes ‘Unreasonable Request’ About His Sentencing, Judge Stops Him Halfway

Teen Charged With Father’s Murder In Yishun Makes ‘Unreasonable Request’ During Court Hearing

Earlier this week, Singaporeans were stunned when they learned about a father’s tragic death in Yishun. His 19-year-old son has been charged with murder.

Appearing once again in court on Thursday (13 Oct), Sylesnar Seah Jie Kai attempted to make an “unreasonable request” during the end of the hearing.

The presiding judge, however, stopped him halfway, pointing out that it was inappropriate for him to continue with the content of his address.

Here’s a summary of what happened in court today.

Prosecution objects accused’s lawyer’s request to see client

According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Mr Sunil Sudheesan – Sylesnar’s lawyer – had requested to see his client for an hour on Thursday (13 Oct).

However, the prosecution objected to the request, saying that they were still on the third day of investigations with much work needed to be done, such as:

• Retrieval of key evidence exhibits
• Site visitation
• Statement recording

Additionally, they requested for Sylesnar to be remanded for seven more days.

The prosecution pointed out that while the law allows accused individuals access to counsel, this only happens “within a reasonable time”. As for the duration of the “reasonable time”, factors such as police investigations and procedures must be taken into account.

In response, Mr Sudheesan argued that the prosecution did not clarify how visiting his client for one hour would obstruct investigations.

He further asserted that an accused person would only know about the legal protection they’re entitled to if they were familiar with the law.

The prosecutor responded by assuring Mr Sudheesan that he would be able to speak to his client at some point but not at this juncture.

The judge eventually ruled in favour of the prosecution, but ordered for a copy of the Law Society’s pamphlet of rights to be given to the accused, reports The Straits Times.

Judge stops Yishun murder suspect halfway through his “unreasonable request”

As the hearing came to a close, Sylesnar reportedly raised his cuffed hands and requested to speak about a matter “concerning his (my) life”.

Conceding that his request was “unreasonable”,  the 19-year-old said that he would provide all evidence and be cooperative before going on a bit of a ramble:

But I have an unreasonable request as this deals with sentencing, with my life… even if the sentence is lightened…

But before he could complete the sentence, the judge stopped him, stating that the 19-year-old might be talking about inappropriate matters to be raised in court at such an early stage.

Sylesnar will return to court next Thursday (20 Oct).

If found guilty of murder, he faces the death penalty.

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and by MS News.