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Caning error: Ex-inmate accepts mediated settlement
A DISPUTE between the Government and a former convict over extra caning he received in prison has been settled after a mediation yesterday.
As part of the agreement, details of the settlement cannot be disclosed. It is believed, however, that the compensation is much lower than the $300,000 Mr Dickson Tan initially sought.
Mr Tan, 21, was caned three times more than the five strokes imposed by a judge who convicted him in February last year of helping an illegal moneylender harass a debtor. He was also sentenced to nine months in jail.
Mr Tan arrived at the mediation session held on the High Court premises yesterday morning with his lawyer, Mr Joseph Chen, and mother.
About seven hours later, Mr Chen emerged and issued a short statement explaining that both parties were bound not to disclose any details except to confirm that the matter had been settled.
Retired High Court judge Thean Lip Ping was the appointed mediator.
The $5,400 mediation fees were borne by the Government, which was represented at the mediation session by Mr David Chong, the principal senior state counsel from the Civil Division of the Attorney-General's Chambers, assisted by two other officers from the A-G's Chambers.
While Mr Chen spoke outside the mediation room, thanking the Singapore Mediation Centre and Mr Thean, Mr Tan's mother, Madam Ho Gee Lin, stood by her son's side, looking a little worn down. She waved her hand and smiled slightly as she walked away with her son.
The settlement yesterday brought to a close a year- long dispute that sparked a debate in Parliament and had the Government coming out to admit the error and expressing regret at the incident. The extra strokes apparently came about because a court clerk mistakenly wrote down the wrong number of strokes on the warrant of commitment to be issued to the Prisons Department.
The clerk resigned after the case was brought to light. The judge who signed the warrant without spotting the error was also no longer allowed to do judicial work involving such warrants.
Mr Tan and the Government went through several rounds of talks to reach an agreement on the amount of compensation he would get, but his asking price of $300,000 was apparently too high. He initially demanded a sum of $3 million.
The deadlock led to Mr Tan filing a lawsuit in the High Court in March.
Last month, however, the Tans asked for the matter to be settled by mediation rather than go for a full trial.
It was understood they opted for this practical step to avoid the anguish of reliving the unhappy experience, the expense and the lack of resources that a High Court trial would have entailed.
A short statement from the Home Affairs Ministry issued last night also thanked Mr Thean, a judge for 18 years, for his assistance in resolving the case.
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How much would you ask for?
A DISPUTE between the Government and a former convict over extra caning he received in prison has been settled after a mediation yesterday.
As part of the agreement, details of the settlement cannot be disclosed. It is believed, however, that the compensation is much lower than the $300,000 Mr Dickson Tan initially sought.
Mr Tan, 21, was caned three times more than the five strokes imposed by a judge who convicted him in February last year of helping an illegal moneylender harass a debtor. He was also sentenced to nine months in jail.
Mr Tan arrived at the mediation session held on the High Court premises yesterday morning with his lawyer, Mr Joseph Chen, and mother.
About seven hours later, Mr Chen emerged and issued a short statement explaining that both parties were bound not to disclose any details except to confirm that the matter had been settled.
Retired High Court judge Thean Lip Ping was the appointed mediator.
The $5,400 mediation fees were borne by the Government, which was represented at the mediation session by Mr David Chong, the principal senior state counsel from the Civil Division of the Attorney-General's Chambers, assisted by two other officers from the A-G's Chambers.
While Mr Chen spoke outside the mediation room, thanking the Singapore Mediation Centre and Mr Thean, Mr Tan's mother, Madam Ho Gee Lin, stood by her son's side, looking a little worn down. She waved her hand and smiled slightly as she walked away with her son.
The settlement yesterday brought to a close a year- long dispute that sparked a debate in Parliament and had the Government coming out to admit the error and expressing regret at the incident. The extra strokes apparently came about because a court clerk mistakenly wrote down the wrong number of strokes on the warrant of commitment to be issued to the Prisons Department.
The clerk resigned after the case was brought to light. The judge who signed the warrant without spotting the error was also no longer allowed to do judicial work involving such warrants.
Mr Tan and the Government went through several rounds of talks to reach an agreement on the amount of compensation he would get, but his asking price of $300,000 was apparently too high. He initially demanded a sum of $3 million.
The deadlock led to Mr Tan filing a lawsuit in the High Court in March.
Last month, however, the Tans asked for the matter to be settled by mediation rather than go for a full trial.
It was understood they opted for this practical step to avoid the anguish of reliving the unhappy experience, the expense and the lack of resources that a High Court trial would have entailed.
A short statement from the Home Affairs Ministry issued last night also thanked Mr Thean, a judge for 18 years, for his assistance in resolving the case.
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How much would you ask for?
