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Teen accused of killing boy at River Valley High School to plead guilty to culpable homicide

SINGAPORE — A teenager accused of killing a 13-year-old boy with an axe at River Valley High School in July 2021 is intending to plead guilty to culpable homicide.

Bouquets of flowers seen at the main gate of River Valley High School on July 25, 2021.

Bouquets of flowers seen at the main gate of River Valley High School on July 25, 2021.

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SINGAPORE — A teenager accused of killing a 13-year-old boy with an axe at River Valley High School in July 2021 is intending to plead guilty to culpable homicide.

A district court on Thursday (April 6) heard that the accused is tentatively set to plead guilty to the charge in the High Court on Aug 7.

The accused, who turned 18 in January, was originally accused of murder, before his charge was amended to culpable homicide in February.

He has been in remand since the incident and appeared in court via video-link.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh sought confirmation from the court that a gag order is in place to protect the identity of the accused.

The teen, who was 16 at the time, allegedly slashed the head, neck and body of the boy with the axe before noon on July 19, 2021 inside a toilet at the school.

The weapon measured 50cm by 22cm.

In the week following the incident, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing gave an account of what happened that day, saying that a group of students saw the suspect outside a toilet towards the end of lunch break at about 11.35am. 

He was holding an axe and asked them to call the police.

The students returned to their classroom and told their teacher about this immediately.

The teen later made the same request to another group of students in the classroom next to the toilet.

A teacher who arrived at the scene instructed him to put down the axe. He complied and was escorted to a meeting room, after which other teachers called the police and checked the toilet.

The younger boy was found motionless with "many wounds" and was pronounced dead there, Mr Chan had said.

The court previously heard that the suspect is a former patient at the Institute of Mental Health and that the police had attended to a case of attempted suicide by him in 2019.

A year after the incident, the Ministry of Education announced that it has increased support for students, such as by having more counsellors and a one-stop hub for wellness services, as part of its effort to look out for students and staff who need socio-emotional support.

If convicted of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the accused can be sentenced to life imprisonment and be caned, or given a jail term of up to 20 years and be fined or caned.

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River Valley High School culpable homicide

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