Straits Times, Singapore, 4 May 1999

Man gets 8 years for cop's death

Ex-bouncer will also get 12 strokes of the cane for his violent assault on a policeman outside a pub last year

AN EX-BOUNCER who stamped on the face of a police sergeant and broke his skull was sentenced to eight years' preventive detention and 12 strokes of the cane by the High Court yesterday. This means that Tamil Salvem, 32, will have to serve eight years in jail without parole.

He was originally tried in March for murdering Sergeant Krishnmurthi Kalimuthu, 37, outside Lalpari Music Lounge & Pub at King George's Avenue on Aug 27 last year. But he pleaded guilty last month to a reduced charge of causing grievous hurt, when the prosecution amended the charge after his two police statements were thrown out by the court.

The court heard that Tamil Salvem had been drinking at a Potong Pasir coffeeshop on the evening of Aug 26 before he went to Lalpari for more drinks.

Sgt Krishnmurthi from Central Police Station, who was at the pub, had a dispute with one of Tamil Salvem's friends.

This led to Tamil Salvem walking out of the pub with the policeman. But outside, they got into a fight.

Sgt Krishnmurthi told Tamil Salvem not to touch him, but the ex-bouncer kicked him in the face.

The officer fell, and Tamil Salvem stamped on his face two or three times, breaking his skull. The sergeant was taken to hospital where he died from skull fractures and serious brain injuries.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jaswant Singh urged the court to sentence Tamil Salvem to preventive detention, saying that the accused had been jailed at least three times before for violent offences. Pleading for leniency, Tamil Salvem's lawyer, Mr Subhas Anandan, said that it was the victim who had started the whole incident.

Justice M. P. H. Rubin then told Tamil Salvem that he had acted in a most cruel manner with little regard for the victim's life or limb.

And his violent and brutish behaviour that night had resulted in the death of the victim, the judge added.

Corpun file 3610

Straits Times, Singapore, 5 May 1999

Molester gets jail and caning

A MAN who threatened and molested two youths was sentenced to seven years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane by a district court yesterday.

Simon Ngopal, 40, who is unemployed, was found guilty of six charges.

Three of these charges were related to a 15-year-old waiter and the rest, against an 18-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF).

The court has ordered the press not to name the two victims.

The offences occurred mainly behind a coffeeshop at Block 293, Yishun Ring Road, at about 2.30 am on Feb 3 this year.

Both teenagers were outside a 7-Eleven convenience store in Yishun that morning when Ngopal and another man approached them.

In his testimony, the older youth said that Ngopal offered to buy them food and drinks, but they refused.

Ngopal then pulled him aside.

He threatened to beat the teenager up if he did not follow him.

Behind the coffeeshop, the 18-year-old refused to do certain things Ngopal asked him to do.

Instead, he became angry and pushed Ngopal, who stepped backwards.

He said Ngopal then pulled his hair from behind and kissed him.

In the case of the 15-year-old, the court heard that Ngopal grabbed his shirt collar and pushed him to a corner behind the coffeeshop.

He then kissed him on his lips.

He also pulled down his jeans and exposed himself to the boy.

In both cases, he threatened to beat or kill the victims if they did not do as instructed.

He told the older youth that he would beat him up until he ended up in hospital or died.

He threatened to kill the younger victim if he did not perform oral sex on him.

Ngopal, who was unrepresented, denied the offences in his defence.

Two other similar charges involving a third youth were taken into consideration.

Ngopal is married and has a son.

He had been convicted of mischief, rape, and immoral living in the 1980s.

Corpun file 3612

The New Paper, Singapore, 7 May 1999

Teen Terror tries to rape girl

By Fong Foong Mei

SNUBNOSED, slight and freshfaced, Colin Cheng Kok Kwang, 19, doesn't look like he steals, sells obscene videos, gets into fights or tries to rape girls.

Yet the incorrigible teen was convicted of all those things yesterday.

And he did it all in just ONE year.

CRIME SPREE

In January last year, he was caught selling pornographic VCDs beside McDonald's Restaurant at Tiong Bahru Plaza for $18 each.

A month later, in February, he used a hammer to break into a car at a Tampines multi-storey carpark.

He stole about $2,800 with the help of the car-owner's daughter, Lim Mei Qi, 17.

In June he assaulted Malaysian Mr Bong Shin Joong, 22, at the Oasis Restaurant in Stadium Boulevard.

Mr Bong made a police report saying that he had been attacked and beaten up at the carpark outside the restaurant by four people.

He identified one of them as Colin, who threw a stone at him. It missed.

But Colin topped his year of petty crimes in August when he attempted to rape one of the girls he knew.

He'd bumped into her at the Octagon Discotheque in Stadium Boulevard and told a friend she was "much prettier" than before and that he regretted not having sex with her.

ATTEMPTED RAPE

For the next two weeks, the troublesome teen kept calling her up and pestering her to go out with him.

He finally lured her with the promise of an Ecstasy party at a hotel room in Accord Hotel where, he promised her, there would be other girls around.

There were no girls, of course, only three of his male friends. He'd boasted to them that he would be having sex with her once she arrived at the Geylang hotel.

When his hapless old flame arrived, he handed her three "97" pills, the street name for a type of Ecstasy pills.

They soon made her drowsy.

He then took the opportunity to remove her clothes and tried to have sex with her. But he could not sustain an erection.

But that didn't stop him from telling her - once she regained consciousness - that he'd raped her.

In the end, Colin's one-year crime spree earned him five years and two months in jail, fines totalling $60,000 and five strokes of the cane.

The Electric New Paper. Copyright © 1999
Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.

Corpun file 3668

Straits Times, Singapore, 13 May 1999

Posed as cops to rob cleaners

A MAN who posed as a police officer and robbed foreign workers was sentenced to three years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane yesterday on three counts of robbery.

Gunaseelan Retanam, 24, unemployed, admitted holding up two cleaners at the rubbish collection centre beside Block 101, Potong Pasir Avenue 1, on Oct 15 last year, and another beside Block 705, Hougang Avenue 2, a week later.

Two of his three accomplices -- Krishna Murthi Shankar, 23, unemployed, and full-time national serviceman Mohan Nadarajah, 19 -- have been dealt with.

Gunaseelan had 13 other charges, mostly of robbery, taken into account in sentencing.

A district court heard that they woke up cleaners Veerappan Murugan, 31, and K. Durairaj Udhayakumar, 25, and identified themselves as police officers at the Potong Pasir rubbish collection centre on Oct 15.

They robbed Mr Veerappan of his wallet containing $410 and punched Mr Durairaj before snatching away his $800 gold chain.

Later, Krishna Murthi robbed Mr Veerappan of his $460 gold chain. They locked up the cleaners in the toilet and rubbish collection centre.

On Oct 22, they robbed cleaner Mohamed Ronay, 26, of his wallet with $90 and a work permit by posing as cops. Krishna Murthi then took Mr Ronay to the toilet and took his pager, $248 gold chain and $406 gold bracelet. He then locked him inside.

Gunaseelan, who was arrested on Dec 3, has been convicted before of theft and drug-taking in June 1997.

Copyright © 1999 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.