Thursday May 24, 8:17
AM
Man gets one
year's jail for pushing girlfriend off MRT
platform
SINGAPORE: The man who pushed his girlfriend onto the MRT track has
been given a year's jail by a Supreme Court judge.
The sentence for 26-year-old Kwong Kok Hing is backdated to last
September when he was held in police custody two days after the
incident at the Clementi MRT station.
And pending an appeal by the prosecution, Kwong could soon walk
free.
But if the prosecution had its way, Kwong would be behind bars much
longer.
It had pressed for a deterrence sentence of three to five
years.
The prosecution has 10 days to indicate if it would like to
appeal.
Kwong could have been imprisoned for up to seven years.
But his earlier charge of murder had been reduced to culpable
homicide when the court heard that Kwong had been suffering from
depression.
His lawyers said that at the time of the incident, Kwong had been
getting psychiatric treatment for 'reactive psychosis'.
He had also just started a new job which had overwhelmed him,
sending him deeper into depression, paranoia and anxiety.
His parents and friends were relieved that Kwong was given a
lighter sentence.
Kwong is a permanent resident from Malaysia.
His parents said they would be bringing him home to Kuala Lumpur to
continue his psychiatric treatment after his release.
Shashi Nathan, Kwong's lawyer, said: "His psychiatric condition was
instrumental in getting the charges reduced in the first place.
Clearly it was not a situation where there was any premeditation.
What happened was a split-second impulsive act. And it's unlikely
to happen again. He's calmed down a lot, and he's healthier."
Kwong has also apologised to his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend Jenny
Low Siew Mui over the incident.
He had pushed Jenny off the platform and into the path of an
oncoming train, following a quarrel in which he refused to break up
with her.
Jenny, who is also a Malaysian, managed to dash across the tracks
to safety.
Kwong, who came to Singapore as an ASEAN scholar, has since
promised not to hound Jenny in future.
Shashi Nathan, Kwong's lawyer, said: "We conveyed his apology by
way of a letter, and she has accepted the apology. So we wanted to
inform the court he's contrite, and he's genuinely remorseful for
what he's done. He wants to start his life anew, he has his brother
and sister, his parents to go back to. This is just a painful part
of his life and he wants to put it behind and get on with his
life." - CNA/ir
