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Man jailed for his role in fatal New Year’s Eve attack

SINGAPORE – A former pipe fitter was today (Oct 5) sentenced to three years and six months’ jail for unlawful assembly and causing grievous hurt to others, including leaving one dead, after a fight broke out during their New Year’s countdown celebration at Jurong Lake Park about three years ago.

Reuters file photo

Reuters file photo

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SINGAPORE – A former pipe fitter was today (Oct 5) sentenced to three years and six months’ jail for unlawful assembly and causing grievous hurt to others, including leaving one dead, after a fight broke out during their New Year’s countdown celebration at Jurong Lake Park about three years ago.

Indian national Raja Arul, 25, who had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of rioting, was the first of five men to be sentenced over the incident, which occurred on Jan 1, 2013.

Another two suspects, both construction workers, remain at large after leaving Singapore on Jan 4, 2013.

The district court heard that the deceased, Boobalan Palanikumar, a mechanical technician from India, had gathered at a pavilion in Jurong Lake Park with eight others to usher in the new year.

The group became drunk, with some shouting Tamil vulgarities that were directed at nobody in particular.

Sharing the pavilion was Raja and four others, who were visibly annoyed at the first group’s rowdiness and moved further away.

When the countdown began, one of the men in the first group noticed Raja and his friends staring at them unpleasantly and confronted them.

Others in the first group then tried to defuse the situation by offering some chips and apologised for the situation.

Offended by the vulgarities used by the first group, one of Raja’s accomplices phoned a man, forklift operator Ramasami Rabinhood, and asked the latter to bring along any of his friends to meet them at Jurong Lake Park.

When Ramasami and his friend arrived at the park, they were met by Raja, who paid for their taxi fare.

Raja then led the two men to join his group.

Taking on the suggestion to beat up those from the first group, Raja and his accomplices armed themselves by removing the long wooden pole supports from tree saplings in the garden and breaking them to form short weapons.

During the attack, which lasted for less than a minute, Raja and his accomplices hit the deceased and four others before they fled the scene in separate directions.

Apart from Boobalan, who died from a severe head injury, the other four victims sustained fractures and lacerations, among other injuries.

Today, Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim How Khang suggested a sentence of four years’ jail and five strokes of the cane for Raja.

Defence lawyer James Selvaraj, however, argued that his client’s role in the incident was minor. He told the court that Raja was not armed with any weapons and had only pushed one individual down.

In her sentencing, District Judge Jasvender Kaur said Raja’s role in the assault was limited and held the least culpability. She also did not find caning to be appropriate given Raja’s role in this case.

Raja’s four other accomplices intend to claim trial for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means.

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