Low Crime Doesn’t Mean No Crime!!! How true! After all, it’s human beings that are breathing and living in Singapore. Love, hatred, jealousy, greed, all sorts of human emotions are as alive here as any other part of the world. We picked the 10 most sensational cases from Singapore’s recent past that captured the country’s attention and imagination.
Orchard Tower double murder, 2nd Jan 2002
January 2002: The decomposing bodies of 46-year-old personal chauffer Kho Nai Guan and his Chinese girlfriend, Lan Ya Ming were found in an abandoned car on the seventh storey car park of Orchard Towers. His employer, Briton Michael McCrea was sought by the police to assist in the investigation. McCrea turned out to be the murderer, assisted by his “personal assistant”, Singaporean Audrey Ong. Kho fell out with his boss over money which was said to be used to purchase drugs. McCrea killed Kho in a fight. Kho’s girlfriend Lan had to be disposed of too, as she witnessed the killing. McCrea and Ong were extradited to Singapore and convicted. McCrea escaped death, as the Singapore Law Ministry, in exchange for McCrae’s extradition, agreed to the Australian government’s request not to carry out the death penalty if it was to be imposed on McCrae. Otherwise Australia will not release a wanted person who will face the death penalty in a country seeking extradition. According to Singapore laws, the President has the power to change a death sentence to a jail term, including life imprisonment.
For chronology of the case >>
Huang Na, 10th Oct 2004
8-year-old girl Huang Na went missing on 10 Oct., 2004. A nation-wide search for her was conducted, stretching to Malaysia. A few days later, the prime suspect, 22-year-old Malaysian Took Leng How was arrested. After three weeks of investigation, Took led the police to Huang Na’s remains. Took claimed the girl accidentally hit her head while playing with him on the day she went missing. But the judge found Took guilty of murder, and he was hanged on 3 Nov 2006.
For further reading >
Mas Selamat
Mas Selamat is the alleged Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader of its Singapore branch. He was suspected of plotting to bomb Singapore Changi Airport in 2002, and, according to the Singapore Police Force, he had initially planned to do so by crashing a plane into the airport. Between 2006 and 2008, he was detained under Internal Security Act without being charged. On 27 Feb 2008, Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road detention center. Authorities launched a full scale island-wide search for him, and an urgent worldwide security alert was issued by INTERPOL to each of its 186 National Central Bureaus. Wanted posters of Mas Selamat were put up in shopping centers, buses, train stations and even schools, to appeal for the public to inform the police should they spot him. The three telecommunications companies in Singapore sent out MMSs with Mas Selamat’s photograph, starting on 1 March 2008, to all 5.5 million subscribers. Lockdowns at border and immigration checkpoints also resulted in much longer queues for people leaving Singapore. In spite of all these efforts, Mas Selamat successfully escaped Singapore, and wasn’t captured until 8 May, 2009, by the Malaysian Police, with leads provided by Singapore intelligence agencies.
For further reading >
Guy Hired Teenager To Kill His Ex-Wife. Anthony Ler
May 2001: Driven by greed of their jointly owned property, 33-year-old graphic designer Anthony Ler persuaded a teenager to kill his estranged ex-wife, 30-year-old insurance agent Annie Leong. Ler promised the teenager S$100,000 to get the dirty business done. The victim was fatally stabbed, leaving behind a 4-year-old daughter. Anthony Ler was quickly convicted with mounting evidence, thanks to modern technology used to track down his electronic correspondence with his teenage accomplice. Ler was hanged in Dec 2001. The teenager escaped death due to his age, but is being detained indefinitely.
One Eyed Dragon
15 Feb 2006: Gang leader Tan Chor Jin burst into nightclub boss Lim Hock Soon’s Serangoon flat. He ordered Lim to tie up his wife, daughter and their maid. In the study, Tan, who was dubbed “One-Eyed Dragon” because he was blind in the right eye, fired six shots at his one-time friend. One-Eyed Dragon made his way to Malaysia but was dramatically captured in a KL hotel. During his trial, he captured the public’s attention with his humorous or philosophical comments in broken English. He was convicted and sentenced to death. He became a Buddhist in his final days and made the decision to donate his organs after his execution. One-Eyed Dragon was hanged on 9 Jan 2009.
NKF Scandal – TT Durai, July 2005
For years, the National Kidney Foundation had been the star of local charities. Its annual fund raising event on TV drew tens of thousands of viewers as well as ample donations. Many citizens also chose to donate regularly through their bank GIRO. However, all hell broke loose in Apr 2004, when it was revealed in the Straits Times that NKF’s CEO TT Durai was drawing an unbelievably high salary and bonus, and that he was decorating his office with luxurious items. Durai tried to take the Straits Times to court, which only resulted in the revelation of more scandals and misuse of funds by NKF. Singapore society as a whole was outraged and felt betrayed. Durai was arrested on 17 Apr 2004, and was eventually sentenced to 15 months in jail.
For further reading >
Kallang Body Parts Murder, Liu Hong Mei , 15th Jun 2005
June 2005: 22-year-old factory worker Liu Hongmei’s chopped up body parts were found along the Kallang river. The police cracked the case swiftly. Within days Liu’s supervisor at the factory where she worked was arrested and charged with her murder. Leong Siew Chor, 50 years of age, married with three grown children was Liu Hongmei’s secret lover. Believed to be a love affair gone sour, Leong killed Liu and hacked her body into seven parts. Leong tried to defend himself in court by claiming it was a suicide pact Liu made with him, and Liu asked him to kill her. However, he was found guilty of Liu’s murder and was hanged in November 2007.
To read the chronology of this case >
The Case of Barings Bank. Nick Leeson
From 1992 to 1995, Nick Leeson, who had no formal training as a dealer, made unsupervised and unauthorized speculative trades on Singapore’s International Monetary Exchange (SIMEX). It caused the collapse of Barings Bank, UK’s oldest investment bank (founded in 1762). Leeson made use of a “five-eights account” (88888) to carry out the daring and risky trading, primarily on futures contracts. It eventually led to a loss of £827 million ($1.3 billion). Leeson fled Singapore on 23 February 1995, and Barings was declared insolvent on 26 February 1995. Leeson was arrested in Germany and extradited back to Singapore on 2 March 1995. He was sentenced to six and a half years in Prison in Singapore, but was released in 1999, having been diagnosed with colon cancer. He survived the cancer, and is now living in Ireland with his second wife and three children.
Leeson has subsequently published two books. One is “Rogue Trader”, his autobiography, which was made into a movie starring Ewan McGregor. Second is “Back from the Brink: Coping with Stress”, sharing his experience in dealing with stress and other mental problems.
For further reading >
Toa Payoh Ritual Murder, 1981, Adrian Lim
In 1981, self-styled medium Adrian Lim of Toa Payoh Lorong 7, with the help of two women, killed a 9-year-old girl and a 11-year-old boy. This is probably the most sensational case of all time in Singapore. Adrian Lim, who used to work in Rediffusion Radio, tricked many women into believing he had supernatural powers. The women offered money and sexual services in exchange for cures, beauty and good fortune. Two of these followers became particularly attached to him, one he married in 1977, the other was declared as his “holy wife”. These two women assisted him in his “business”. In late 1980, one of Lim’s targets filed a rape charge against him. Furious and frustrated, Lim plotted to derail the police’s investigation by murdering children. The trio lured the victims to their Toa Payoh flat, then tortured and killed them, and drank the victims’ blood, offering it to the Hindu Goddess Kali whom they worshiped. They dumped the children’s bodies, but a blood trail outside their flat eventually led to their downfall. They were tried and found guilty, despite the defending lawyer’s effort to plead insanity. All three were executed by hanging on 25 November, 1988.
For further reading >
Michael P. Fay
In 1994, 19-year-old American Michael P. Fay was found guilty of vandalizing numerous cars and stealing street sign boards. He was sentenced to 6 strokes of the cane and 4 months of jail, according to Singapore’s law. This was the first time an American would be caned in Singapore, and it created uproar in the US and other parts of the western world. Western media did all they could to illustrate and publicize the “terror” of caning and labeled Singapore a barbarian country. Despite enormous pressure and threats from various diplomatic and media channels, Singapore government stood by its laws and insisted the sentence for Michael Fay was justified. Eventually, the then president of US, Bill Clinton made a request for clemency on Fay’s behalf, and, as due respect, the number of strokes of caning was reduced to 4 from 6. Michael Fay duly received four strokes of the cane across his bare buttocks on May 5, 1994 at Queenstown Remand Centre, and spent the next 4 months in jail. He was also fined SGD3,500 as part of the sentence.
This incident certainly put Singapore on the world map. The government’s firm stand on its law and sovereignty earned Singapore great respect. Though it may be just a small red dot on the map, this is not a country to be messed with easily.
For further reading >
Very interesting!!!