- Joined
- Apr 18, 2011
- Messages
- 10,723
- Points
- 0
SINGAPORE : A police constable with AETOS, who was about S$40,000 in debt and had often joked about shooting himself if he couldn't settle it, eventually did so in a toilet at Corporation Road, last year.
In the Coroner's Court on Tuesday, State Coroner Victor Yeo found that 38-year-old Lee Kong Beng died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head from his service revolver on 31 May 2010.
Investigations revealed that Lee, who had been working with AETOS for about two years, did not show any signs of distress when he reported for duty at Tuas Immigration Checkpoint that day.
After his shift ended, he was transported back to AETOS Jurong station at 500 Corporation Road, to return his service revolver at the armoury.
Lee, who was queuing in line to do so, turned around and left the queue for the toilet.
Soon after, 33-year-old Mohd Azman, a police officer, heard a loud bang when he was changing inside the locker room next to the toilet.
Azman rushed there and detected a very strong smell of gun powder.
He also saw blood seeping out from the second cubicle.
Azman got help from staff sergeant, V Selvaraj, and they forced open the cubicle door to find Lee lying inside, with his left hand holding onto his service revolver.
Investigations also revealed a handwritten note found in his right front pants pocket, where he said he was depressed and had chosen to end his life.
The court also heard that Lee had on several occasions joked to his mother that he would commit suicide, either by jumping or by shooting himself, if he was unable to pay off his debts.
This worried his family initially, but they later believed he was not serious about taking his own life and stopped assisting him financially before his death.
In the Coroner's Court on Tuesday, State Coroner Victor Yeo found that 38-year-old Lee Kong Beng died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head from his service revolver on 31 May 2010.
Investigations revealed that Lee, who had been working with AETOS for about two years, did not show any signs of distress when he reported for duty at Tuas Immigration Checkpoint that day.
After his shift ended, he was transported back to AETOS Jurong station at 500 Corporation Road, to return his service revolver at the armoury.
Lee, who was queuing in line to do so, turned around and left the queue for the toilet.
Soon after, 33-year-old Mohd Azman, a police officer, heard a loud bang when he was changing inside the locker room next to the toilet.
Azman rushed there and detected a very strong smell of gun powder.
He also saw blood seeping out from the second cubicle.
Azman got help from staff sergeant, V Selvaraj, and they forced open the cubicle door to find Lee lying inside, with his left hand holding onto his service revolver.
Investigations also revealed a handwritten note found in his right front pants pocket, where he said he was depressed and had chosen to end his life.
The court also heard that Lee had on several occasions joked to his mother that he would commit suicide, either by jumping or by shooting himself, if he was unable to pay off his debts.
This worried his family initially, but they later believed he was not serious about taking his own life and stopped assisting him financially before his death.
