Court rejects appeal of mentally ill man who caused father’s death

SINGAPORE — The schizophrenic son of a pastor who started a fire that killed his father in 2009 had his appeal against his jail sentence rejected by the apex court yesterday.

Ho Wei Yi, 34, had been sentenced to eight years’ jail in February after he pleaded guilty to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The trial judge, Justice Tay Yong Kwang, had backdated Ho’s sentence to Sept 21, 2011 — the start of his prison remand when he was certified fit to make the plea.

But defence lawyer Ramesh Tiwary argued that Ho’s sentence should be backdated to Aug 6, 2009, when he was first remanded in prison before being committed to the forensic ward at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

Conditions for Ho at the ward, where patients are under lock and key with restricted visits allowed, were similar to those of a prison, the lawyer argued. Ho did not have a choice about being warded at the IMH and to ignore his time there would be prejudicial to Ho, he added.

But Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang said Justice Tay knew exactly what he was doing in sentencing Ho.

In rejecting the appeal, Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin said Justice Tay’s ruling was correct in the interests of Ho’s rehabilitation and the public’s protection.

Early release might not be helpful to Ho, who did not quite appreciate his condition in the past. He would also get proper treatment in an institution, said Justice Chao.

Ho, who has paranoid schizophrenia, had resented his parents for making him undergo treatment for his condition.

He heard voices on Aug 5, 2009, and set on fire a mattress in the family’s McNair Road flat before fleeing, the court was told.

His 58-year-old father, Michael Ho Shiong Chun, who was a pastor with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was found in the master bedroom toilet. He died of smoke inhalation.

NEO CHAI CHIN