SINGAPORE — A High Court judge yesterday sentenced a man to 20 years in jail for setting his former lover on fire, calling it one of the worst cases of culpable homicide here.

Judicial Commissioner (JC) Tan Siong Thye said Lim Ghim Peow, 45, had drawn up a “meticulous plan” and carried out “a very cruel and vicious attack” on Mary Yoong Mei Ling when he set the 43-year-old ablaze at her Sengkang flat on May 25, 2012. She died 14 hours after suffering burns on 75 per cent of her body.

The Judicial Commissioner said: “The events preceding the fatal torching of the deceased and the fateful day of the offence clearly revealed a revengeful and scornful lover who had a premeditated plan and was determined to kill the deceased almost at all cost.”

After his efforts to reconcile with Yoong were spurned, Lim, who was suffering from a major depressive disorder, bought a four-litre tin of petrol three months before the attack. He then lay in wait for two days as he planned how to kill Yoong.

“He was patient and had no qualms about waiting until the next day when no opportune moment arose when he first lay in wait for the deceased,” said JC Tan, who noted that Lim also carried a lighter in case the deceased attempted to run away, “proving that he had considered contingencies as well”.

The Judicial Commissioner felt there was nothing to suggest that Lim’s major depressive disorder made him unable to fully appreciate the consequences of his actions. He noted Lim paid no regard to the possible harm that could have been caused to others, as the fire at Yoong’s flat could have spread to others in the building. “He was so driven to kill the deceased that he did not care if other people would have been hurt in the process,” the Judicial Commissioner said.

JC Tan said the community also had to be protected from Lim, who had been detained three times under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act for his involvement in secret society activities. While the maximum sentence that could be handed out in this case was life imprisonment, the Judicial Commissioner felt it might not be appropriate.

“However, in my view, this is one of the worst cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder because of the very aggravating features. Therefore, the community interest in retribution can only be met through a very substantial sentence notwithstanding the accused’s mental condition,” JC Tan added.