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Kallang slashing: Apex court upholds death penalty, life sentence for duo

SINGAPORE — The apex court on Monday (Feb 27) threw out two appeals for the 2010 Kallang slashing case, noting that the sentences for Micheal Garing and Tony Imba were appropriate given their respective roles in the brazen robbery spree that left one construction worker dead and three other people severely injured.

SINGAPORE — The apex court on Monday (Feb 27) threw out two appeals for the 2010 Kallang slashing case, noting that the sentences for Micheal Garing and Tony Imba were appropriate given their respective roles in the brazen robbery spree that left one construction worker dead and three other people severely injured.

“At the end of the day, the punishment must fit the crime. We are satisfied that the death penalty is warranted for (Micheal), given his savage use of the parang on the deceased. The same, however, cannot be said for (Tony’s) involvement in the attack on the deceased ... our decision in this regard rests on a very fine balance,” said Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, delivering the three-man court’s decision.

Micheal, 28, and Tony, 38, were part of a gang of four Sarawak natives who carried out four violent robberies from the late night of May 29, 2010 to the early hours of the next day in Kallang. 

Their first two victims were then-construction worker Sandeep Singh, 24, and then-full-time national serviceman Ang Jun Heng, 19. They were both kicked, punched and slashed with a parang. 

A third victim, Indian national Egan Karuppaiah, then 43, had both arms almost hacked to the bone.

Their final victim was Shanmuganathan Dillidurai, 41, who was knocked off his bicycle along Kallang Road by Tony. He was slashed repeatedly and died after sustaining a fractured skull and a severed jugular vein, among other injuries.

Following a trial, Micheal was sentenced to death, as the court found that he had wielded the parang in the fatal attack, as well as in the earlier robberies. Tony was sentenced to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane in 2015.

Micheal appealed against his conviction and sentence, while the prosecution appealed for Tony to face the hangman’s noose as well.

Micheal’s lawyer Ramesh Tiwary argued that it was Tony who dealt the killing blow, after taking the parang from his client. 

But the Court of Appeal found that Micheal could not provide a consistent account of where and when the weapon had changed hands.

Agreeing with a lower court’s decision for Micheal to hang, the apex court said that the “vicious, savage and sustained onslaught” on Mr Shanmuganathan warranted the death penalty because he had acted in “blatant disregard for human life”.

Micheal had used a 58cm-long parang to slash the victim, striking his head with such force that it had caused a skull fracture, and he also slit the victim’s throat. “It seems to us that (he) attacked the deceased in a totally savage and merciless manner, as though he were attacking a hunted prey,” said Justice Chao.

As for Tony, the prosecution said that he had been an active participant in the brutal attack. The court, however, said Tony’s role in the attack was unclear, despite claims that he had held onto the victim as Micheal slashed him.

“We are not satisfied that (Tony) held onto the deceased for a significant period of time, allowing (Micheal) to inflict the fatal injuries,” said Justice Chao. “Given the risk to himself, it was just as likely that when (Micheal) began to strike the deceased, (Tony) could have released his hold over the deceased.”

Justice Chao added that the death penalty might have been warranted had there been a preconceived plan to inflict the heinous injuries, or there was more certainty as to Tony’s participation in the attack, apart from initiating it.

A third accomplice, Hairee Landak, was sentenced to 33 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane in 2013 after admitting to armed robbery and causing grievous hurt. 

A fourth suspect was arrested in Malaysia last month. 

Donny Meluda, 26, who now goes by the name of Abdul Rahman Abdullah, has been charged with murder with common intention. 

His case is still before the court, and if convicted, he will face the death penalty.

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