SINGAPORE — A 30-year-old accused of murdering another man during a brawl at Orchard Towers in 2019 was on Friday (Oct 1) hauled back to court to face 10 new violence-related charges, including two linked to the fatal fight.

Tan Sen Yang is the only one out of seven people, all of whom were charged over the brawl, who has yet to be dealt with. 

He still faces a capital murder charge after allegedly stabbing Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31, around his jaw and neck at the entrance to Orchard Towers, a commercial building along the Orchard Road shopping belt, in the early hours of July 2, 2019. 

Five other people were jailed and one received a conditional warning after their murder charges were reduced. 

The case drew heated online discussion, leading the Attorney-General’s Chambers to direct the police to investigate claims of preferential treatment in sentencing based on the offenders’ race. 

Two of Tan’s fresh charges are related to the brawl.

He is now further accused of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to club patron Muhammad Fairus Muhammad Ali at the entrance of Naughty Girl Club in Orchard Towers. 

Tan is said to have slashed his face with a dangerous weapon — a foldable karambit, a small curved knife resembling a claw — that morning.

Tan was also charged with waving the karambit around at the entrance to the club and cutting the right index finger of security guard B Barathkrishnan.

When Tan’s accomplices’ cases were heard in court, prosecutors had said that his group had been embroiled in a dispute with another group at the nightclub entrance. 

Tan allegedly swung his knife around and slashed Mr Barathkrishnan and Mr Fairus, whose face was permanently disfigured.

The other eight new charges involve incidents that were said to have happened from 2015 to the day before the brawl.

Based on court documents, Tan allegedly:

• Punched a man at the ComfortDelGro Driving Centre in Ubi on Nov 2, 2015 

• Stabbed a man in the chest with a knife at a Compassvale Walk void deck in Sengkang on Aug 23, 2016

• Punched the face of a 24-year-old woman at the now-defunct St James Power Station nightclub on Feb 23, 2017

• Attacked two men, aged 30 and 32, with a cleaver on March 22, 2017 at a pavement outside Orchard Towers

• Threatened a woman via a phone text message on June 2, 2019 with injury to another man by saying: “Wait u see Dickson kena (Malay term for being on the receiving end) stab” 

• Punched a parking enforcement officer’s forearm along Nassim Road on July 1, 2019

• Kicked the officer’s motorcycle and caused it to topple that same morning, incurring repair costs of S$380

Tan is still being held on remand and will return to court on Oct 22.

If convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon, he could be jailed for life, or imprisoned for up to 15 years and caned. 

He faces the death penalty if convicted of murder.