Man who pushed girlfriend into path of oncoming train
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Monday May 21, 8:17 PM
Man who pushed girlfriend into path of oncoming train pleads guilty
SINGAPORE : A 26-year-old man now faces up to seven years in jail for pushing his then girlfriend into the path of an oncoming MRT train.
Kwong Kok Hing has pleaded guilty to the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
He was originally due to claim trial on Monday for the alleged offence.
But after discussions between prosecution and defence lawyers in chambers, Kwong's lawyer Shashi Nathan told the court that his client is pleading guilty.
Kwong, a former ASEAN scholar, had pushed Jenny Low Siew Mui off the Clementi MRT station platform, following a quarrel last September.
Jenny escaped serious injuries by running to the other side of the track after she could not climb back up to the platform in time.
Both are Singapore Permanent Residents from Malaysia.
Kwong is said to be suffering from depression.
The sight of him sitting in the dock on Monday seemed too much for his parents to bear.
They were in tears throughout the proceeding.
After the hearing, as Kwong was handcuffed and led away by police, his parents reached in through an opening to touch him and say goodbye.
Hearing has been adjourned till Wednesday for both the prosecution and defence to prepare their submissions. - -
Thursday May 24, 8:17 AM
Man gets one year's jail for pushing girlfriend off MRT platform
SINGAPORE: The man who pushed his girlfriend onto the MRT track has been given a year's jail by a Supreme Court judge.
The sentence for 26-year-old Kwong Kok Hing is backdated to last September when he was held in police custody two days after the incident at the Clementi MRT station.
And pending an appeal by the prosecution, Kwong could soon walk free.
But if the prosecution had its way, Kwong would be behind bars much longer.
It had pressed for a deterrence sentence of three to five years.
The prosecution has 10 days to indicate if it would like to appeal.
Kwong could have been imprisoned for up to seven years.
But his earlier charge of murder had been reduced to culpable homicide when the court heard that Kwong had been suffering from depression.
His lawyers said that at the time of the incident, Kwong had been getting psychiatric treatment for 'reactive psychosis'.
He had also just started a new job which had overwhelmed him, sending him deeper into depression, paranoia and anxiety.
His parents and friends were relieved that Kwong was given a lighter sentence.
Kwong is a permanent resident from Malaysia.
His parents said they would be bringing him home to Kuala Lumpur to continue his psychiatric treatment after his release.
Shashi Nathan, Kwong's lawyer, said: "His psychiatric condition was instrumental in getting the charges reduced in the first place. Clearly it was not a situation where there was any premeditation. What happened was a split-second impulsive act. And it's unlikely to happen again. He's calmed down a lot, and he's healthier."
Kwong has also apologised to his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend Jenny Low Siew Mui over the incident.
He had pushed Jenny off the platform and into the path of an oncoming train, following a quarrel in which he refused to break up with her.
Jenny, who is also a Malaysian, managed to dash across the tracks to safety.
Kwong, who came to Singapore as an ASEAN scholar, has since promised not to hound Jenny in future.
Shashi Nathan, Kwong's lawyer, said: "We conveyed his apology by way of a letter, and she has accepted the apology. So we wanted to inform the court he's contrite, and he's genuinely remorseful for what he's done. He wants to start his life anew, he has his brother and sister, his parents to go back to. This is just a painful part of his life and he wants to put it behind and get on with his life." - CNA/ir -
only 1 year?
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Man walking on MRT tracks disrupts train service
By Wu Shang Yuan
Train services between Eunos and Tanah Merah MRT Stations were disrupted today, when a man jumped onto the MRT track and started walking along it.
Callers to the Mediacorp Hotline said they saw the man jump onto the track at Bedok MRT Station.
He then walked towards the direction of the Tanah Merah Station.
This was at about 3.30pm.
Adrian Low was one of those who witnessed the incident.
He was on the train heading towards the Expo.
"The train actually stopped at Bedok and it stopped for quite some time, I was curious to see what's going on. I saw everyone gathering at the front of the train so I went there to have a look. I saw a guy walking quite far away and I saw two MRT staff chasing after the guy. I have no idea how come he can go down to the track and the MRT staff take so long to respond - because the distance between the guy and the MRT staff was quite far away. I saw the guy was walking and the MRT staff were running."
Mr Low said the train started moving again after about 10 minutes.
He described what he saw at Tanah Merah MRT Station.
"I saw the guy and the two MRT staff accompanying the guy towards Tanah Merah Interchange. He looked quite normal walking with the MRT staff at his side. He's quite calm, quite peaceful walking."
SMRT has verified that the train service had been deactivated at about 3.10pm today because of this incident.
Trains between Eunos and Tanah Merah MRT stations were suspended for about 20 minutes.
SMRT says the man, in his 20s, has since been detained by the police. -
Now East section getting all the unwanted attention.
Anyway, many thought the guy who pushed his ex onto the tracks @ CLE got off lightly because he was an ASEAN scholar. -
I think he also got double degree.Originally posted by iveco:Now East section getting all the unwanted attention.
Anyway, the guy who pushed his ex onto the tracks @ CLE was said to be an ASEAN scholar.