• The AGC reiterated that the sentences for four individuals caught up in the assault were based on facts of their individual cases
• The sole individual to face a capital charge, Tan Sen Yang, will have his murder case tried in the High Court
• The 28-year-old had allegedly used a small curved knife to cause fatal injuries to Satheesh’s head and neck

SINGAPORE — The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has issued a further clarification on the reasons why four people caught up in the high-profile fatal brawl at Orchard Towers last year received the sentences that were meted out to them.

In a statement on Tuesday (Oct 20), which comes less than a week after it issued a similar clarification last Friday, the AGC said the sentences were based on the facts of the cases against Ang Da Yuan, Natalie Siow, Joel Tan and Chan Jia Xing.

All four were part of a group of seven present when 31-year-old Satheesh Noel Gobidass was attacked at Orchard Towers on July 2 last year. The victim died in Tan Tock Seng Hospital about an hour later.

However, the facts showed they did not cause his death, with one individual even found to have tried to prevent the fight from taking place, the AGC said.

According to court documents, Satheesh confronted the group over an earlier altercation outside the Naughty Girl Club, which is located within the building.

During the attack by the group, Tan Sen Yang, 28, allegedly slashed Satheesh with a karambit — a small curved knife resembling a claw — around the lower jaw and neck.

The AGC noted that Tan Sen Yang’s murder case had been transmitted to the High Court on Tuesday. Tan Sen Yang is the only person to be charged with the capital offence over the incident. It did not specify a date for the trial.

Video footage of the incident later went viral on social media, showing a man collapsing near an escalator in the building after a brawl, prompting onlookers to rush forward to check on him.

Separately, the AGC said in its statement that Chan, 27, had tried to prevent the attack on Satheesh, and was cooperative with the police during investigations.

As such, he was spared a jail sentence and was given a year-long conditional warning instead. While it does not amount to a criminal conviction, it means that Chan must remain crime-free for 12 months or he can be prosecuted for the original crime.

He was accused of consorting with Tan Sen Yang who allegedly had an offensive weapon on him.

News of Chan’s sentence last Thursday had resulted in several social media posts that suggested the court imposes sentences on offenders on account of their race, and imposes harsher sentences if they are a member of a minority race.

Last Friday, the AGC clarified that such claims of preferential racial treatment of the accused persons were “categorically false and baseless”.

As for the three other individuals, the AGC said on Tuesday they had admitted to punching and kicking Satheesh during the fight, but had not planned to assault him.

The AGC said their acts had resulted in two abrasions on Satheesh’s upper body, which were minor and non-fatal in nature.

“There was insufficient evidence to show that they intended to cause more than simple hurt,” said the AGC. “As such, charges of voluntarily causing hurt with common intention were proceeded against them.”

It added that the punishment for such a charge is typically a fine or a jail term of up to four weeks.

Taking into account the group violence involved, the public disquiet caused by the fight which took place in front of members of the public, as well as the guilty plea of the accused persons, the prosecution sought a month’s imprisonment each for Joel Tan, 26, and Siow, 24.

A higher sentence of two months’ jail was sought for Ang, 26, due to his previous violent convictions, for this charge, said the AGC.

While they did not expect Tan Sen Yang to use the karambit during the fight, both Ang and Siow knew that he was carrying it after he had placed it on a pub table in front of them prior to the incident, said the AGC.

Since Ang and Siow continued to remain in Tan Sen Yang’s company, despite knowing he had the knife, an additional charge of consorting with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place was proceeded with against them.

The total sentence which Ang received was eight months' jail and six strokes of the cane.

Meanwhile, Siow, who is a first-time offender, was sentenced to five months behind bars.

The AGC noted that this is in addition to the 107 days — about 3.5 months — that she had spent in remand previously. As she is a woman, she cannot be caned.

Joel was given four weeks' jail. Another charge of consorting with an individual with an offensive weapon was taken into consideration.

The cases for the remaining two individuals in the group of seven — Tan Hong Sheng, 22, and Loo Boon Chong, 26 — remain before the court.

Both men face a charge each of consorting with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place. Loo faces an additional charge of perverting the course of justice.