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Accused in Shangri-La shooting sentenced

SINGAPORE — The second car passenger involved in the shooting incident near Shangri-La Hotel in May has been sentenced to seven years’ jail and three strokes of the cane today (Dec 21).

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SINGAPORE — The second car passenger involved in the shooting incident near Shangri-La Hotel in May has been sentenced to seven years’ jail and three strokes of the cane today (Dec 21).

Muhammad Syahid Mohamed Yasin, 26, pleaded guilty to four charges: two counts of drug possession, one count of drug consumption and one count of abetting a rash act. Another four charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

His accomplice — Mohamed Ismail — was earlier sentenced to eight years’ jail and three strokes of the cane for drug possession and consumption.

Court documents revealed that in the early hours of May 31, Muhammad Syahid and Mohamed Ismail were in a red Subaru Impreza, driven by Mohamed Taufik Zahar, when they were stopped at a checkpoint near Shangri-La Hotel. A high-level security conference involving world leaders was being held at the hotel.

Instead of complying with the checks, Muhammad Syahid appeared “nervous and defensive”. He suddenly shouted “Jalan! Jalan”, which means “Go! Go!” in English, at Mohamed Taufik. The latter was shot dead, after he accelerated and endangered the lives of two police officers.

Upon his arrest, three packets of drugs — containing 8.41 grams of methamphetamine and 17 nimetazepam pills — were found in his possession. Urine samples also showed that he had taken methamphetamine around 9pm on the previous night.

Pleading for a sentence of five years and three weeks, defence lawyer Nadia Moynihan said that the accused was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, after witnessing his friend being shot dead by the police. Prison psychiatrist Jacob Rajesh noted that Muhammad Syahid had recurrent flashbacks of the incident, and heard gunshots whenever the prison doors were shut loudly. The death of his two-month-old daughter, who suffered from whooping cough, in July also resulted in him experiencing “grief symptoms”.

In an appeal letter, the accused’s wife Nur Shahidah Mohamed Yasim asked the Court to grant a lenient sentence. Without him, she was facing “great financial difficulty” caring for the family and paying for their expenses.

In sentencing, District Judge Lee Poh Choo noted that Muhammad Syahid had been found with different drugs, and he had only been released from prison last year, after serving a year for drug consumption.

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