The teen allegedly used an axe to repeatedly slash the neck, head and body of a 13-year-old boy inside a toilet at RVHS in 2021. - ST
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A teenager accused of killing his River Valley High School (RVHS) schoolmate in 2021 intends to plead guilty to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh told the court on Thursday (April 6) the teen is expected to do so in August. The case has also been transferred to the High Court.
According to the Singapore Courts website, criminal offences committed locally that are punishable with death or an imprisonment term exceeding 10 years will be handled at the High Court.
Offenders convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder can either be jailed for life with caning or be jailed for up to 20 years, fined or caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.
Only males aged between 18 and 50 who have been certified fit can be caned.
The offence allegedly happened when the accused was 16 years old, so he is covered under the Children and Young Persons Act and cannot be named.
Now 18, he was originally handed a murder charge but it was reduced in February to that of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The teen allegedly used an axe to repeatedly slash the neck, head and body of a 13-year-old boy inside a toilet at RVHS in Boon Lay Avenue between 11.15am and 11.45am on July 19, 2021.
He allegedly did so with the intent to cause the younger boy’s death. The two were not known to each other, police investigations showed.
During earlier proceedings, the court heard the accused had attempted suicide in 2019, and was assessed at the Institute of Mental Health.
On July 16, 2022, the Ministry of Education said that after the incident, RVHS made an effort to look out for students and staff who needed socio-emotional support.
The school was given additional counsellors, and mental well-being awareness talks were conducted for its students, the ministry added.
The accused, who has been in remand since the incident, took his O-level examinations as a private candidate while in custody. He is represented by lawyers Sunil Sudheesan and Joyce Khoo from Quahe Woo & Palmer.
