Judge Dedar Singh Gill said it was a “vicious and brazen murder” (Representation)
Singapore:
A 72-year-old Chinese businessman in Singapore was jailed for eight and a half years on Monday for stabbing his Indian-born son-in-law to death in a broad daylight cafe following disputes over his treatment. family business and extra-marital affairs.
Tan Nam Seng pleaded guilty last month to a charge of culpable homicide not constituting murder by stabbing Spencer Tuppani, 38, three years ago during a busy lunch hour in the central business district, according to a report from Channel News Asia.
Judge Dedar Singh Gill said it was a “vicious and brazen murder”, but noted the accused’s major depressive disorder at the time, as well as his “rapidly deteriorating” health, which , according to the judge, weighed heavily on his mind, the judge report said.
Tuppani had made several commercial moves that Tan saw as a ploy to cheat him out of his company. They also lived in the same household, even after Tan’s daughter discovered Tuppani’s affair with another woman and the couple quarreled frequently, he said.
On the day of the incident, July 10, 2017, Tan saw his son-in-law eating in a cafe. Tan retrieved a knife from the company’s office at Cecil Court before approaching the youngest man who was there with three friends, according to the report.
The accused told Tuppani “you are too much” in Hokkien (a Chinese dialect), before stabbing him three times in a row and following the victim as he stumbled and collapsed outside an outlet, according to the report. newspaper.
Tan stood over his son-in-law and prevented others from helping him, telling them to “let him die” and that “I wish to kill him”, according to the report, adding that before the arrival of police, Tan kicked the young man. twice the face, before calling her daughter.
He told her, “I can’t sleep at night. I did. I killed him. Don’t cry. I’m already old. I’m not afraid to go to jail.”
The prosecution asked for 12 years in prison, claiming that while Tan was suffering from major depressive disorder, there were “crucial” aggravating factors, including the fact that it was a “revenge tragedy.”
Tan took revenge on his son-in-law in a “brutal, public and unprovoked murder” in broad daylight, Deputy Prosecutor Lim Jian Yi said.
Defense lawyer Wee Pan Lee has asked for seven and a half years in prison. He said Tan was a divorced woman who had received only elementary education, starting to work as a coolie for a transport contractor in her early teens.
He rose through the ranks to become a ferry clerk and went on to start his own shipping and freight company at the age of 27.
At its peak, the business group employed over a thousand people, and Tan intended to prepare Tuppani to lead the business with his daughters after retirement.
However, when Tuppani managed the sale of the business, Tan and his eldest daughter each received only Singapore $ 450,000 (US $ 3 30,990) instead of $ 1 million.
“He used the company’s funds to finance his own lavish lifestyle … for expensive cars, luxury watches and upkeep for (his) mistresses,” Wee said.
Tan later found out about his daughter’s marital woes with Tuppani, who had been “involved in a series of extramarital affairs”.
Tan began to realize that Tuppani would not honor his word to return the company’s stock to him and his daughter, and realized that his son-in-law had surreptitiously recorded arguments with his daughter to be used in a proceeding. of divorce, going against his word to Tan not. fight for custody.
“Objectively, to a sane person, this was a vicious and brazen murder perpetrated in broad daylight on an unsuspecting victim having a meal in a cafe …” said Justice Gill.
However, medical evidence established that Tan had major depressive disorder and was having an episode at the time, the judge said.
He was also in a pervasive dysphoric state and worried about the well-being of his daughters. This state of mind interfered with his impulse control and judgment, and significantly weakened his mental responsibility for the act, the judge added.
For culpable homicide not amounting to murder, Tan could have been jailed for life. It cannot be caned because it is over 50 years old.
