SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had refrained from commenting too much on the death of 14-year-old Benjamin Lim out of respect for the boy’s family and the pending Coroner’s Inquiry (CI) to establish the cause of his death, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Tuesday (March 1).

After the findings of the CI have been announced, people can offer their views or criticism on what the police or the MHA did or did not do, Mr Shanmugam reiterated. 

Raising the issue of subjudice — where public discussion of a case under judicial consideration may affect or prejudice the outcome of proceedings — Mr Shanmugam also said Singapore needs a proper framework to deal with legitimate public queries when incidents happen, noting some of the allegations on the case may infringe on the principles of subjudice. The authorities will relook the law and the discussion on Benjamin’s case should not become an automatic precedent for the future, he said.  

The family of Benjamin had issued an open letter that suggested Benjamin had been coerced into admitting to alleged molest of an 11-year-old girl in a lift. 

Mr Shanmugam said that while the police could have rebutted the statement, set out their facts or released the CCTV footage, among other things, it was questionable whether these were the right things to do.

Mr Shanmugam gave a clear “no” to having a “public trial by media” and rebut the family in public, adding to their grief. The authorities will not release the CCTV footage showing what happened in the lift, out of respect for Benjamin’s memory and to help the young girl. The family has also told the police they felt pressured by the public and the media attention and had asked for privacy, he added. 

Given that assertions have been made against the integrity of the police and that many Members of Parliament have tabled questions on the case, Mr Shanmugam said people may misunderstand if the Government did not respond. Public confidence in the police must be maintained, he said. 

He added that he spoke in the House with “some regret and considerable reservation”, and after consulting the Attorney-General’s Chambers.