No death penalty for man who pleaded guilty to culpable homicide
By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 20 Aug 2013 12:38 PM
UPDATED: 20 Aug 2013 2:38 PM
SINGAPORE: A full-time national serviceman who was facing a murder charge for stabbing a woman will not face the death penalty.
23-year-old Soh Wee Kian pleaded guilty on Tuesday to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The prosecution had indicated two weeks ago that it would reduce the murder charge that Soh was facing to one of culpable homicide if he pleaded guilty.
Instead of facing the death penalty, Soh could be jailed for life and caned, or jailed up to 20 years with a fine or caning.
Soh was accused of murdering Hoe Hong Lin, 32, at Mandai Tekong Park at Woodlands Drive 50 on 22 September 2010.
The court heard on Tuesday that Soh would loiter around HDB blocks, with a glove and knife in his pockets.
He would pick out women with long hair and short skirts and follow them.
At the same time, he would imagine stabbing them and molesting them.
On the night Madam Hoe died, she had just celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with her family and was walking home after sending her nephews off.
Soh came up behind her, covered her mouth to stop her from screaming, and stabbed her in the lower back with the knife.
After she fell to the ground, he stabbed her several more times
The court heard that Soh thought of molesting Madam Hoe as she was lying on the ground but was unable to do so because she grabbed both his hands.
He then broke free and ran off.
Soh also faced three other charges of slashing three women between January and May 2010.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, while the other two charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing.
In the charge Soh pleaded guilty to, the court heard that he stabbed 28-year-old How Poh Ling several times with a knife on 26 May 2010.
Soh was later arrested on 14 October 2010 while serving detention for going absent without official leave from National Service.
His family and Madam Hoe's husband were in court on Tuesday.
Soh is expected to be sentenced on Thursday afternoon.
- CNA/xq
By Kimberly Spykerman
POSTED: 20 Aug 2013 12:38 PM
UPDATED: 20 Aug 2013 2:38 PM
SINGAPORE: A full-time national serviceman who was facing a murder charge for stabbing a woman will not face the death penalty.
23-year-old Soh Wee Kian pleaded guilty on Tuesday to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The prosecution had indicated two weeks ago that it would reduce the murder charge that Soh was facing to one of culpable homicide if he pleaded guilty.
Instead of facing the death penalty, Soh could be jailed for life and caned, or jailed up to 20 years with a fine or caning.
Soh was accused of murdering Hoe Hong Lin, 32, at Mandai Tekong Park at Woodlands Drive 50 on 22 September 2010.
The court heard on Tuesday that Soh would loiter around HDB blocks, with a glove and knife in his pockets.
He would pick out women with long hair and short skirts and follow them.
At the same time, he would imagine stabbing them and molesting them.
On the night Madam Hoe died, she had just celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with her family and was walking home after sending her nephews off.
Soh came up behind her, covered her mouth to stop her from screaming, and stabbed her in the lower back with the knife.
After she fell to the ground, he stabbed her several more times
The court heard that Soh thought of molesting Madam Hoe as she was lying on the ground but was unable to do so because she grabbed both his hands.
He then broke free and ran off.
Soh also faced three other charges of slashing three women between January and May 2010.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, while the other two charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing.
In the charge Soh pleaded guilty to, the court heard that he stabbed 28-year-old How Poh Ling several times with a knife on 26 May 2010.
Soh was later arrested on 14 October 2010 while serving detention for going absent without official leave from National Service.
His family and Madam Hoe's husband were in court on Tuesday.
Soh is expected to be sentenced on Thursday afternoon.
- CNA/xq
