Peter Fernando is a top class lawyer. His fees quite steep too. At times he do pro bono work. I know of a family in my neighborhood who hired him some years ago due to their son's case of robbery with hurt. Victim was an elderly auntie. Peter managed to get the son off RTC and convinced the judge to put the boy in a probation program. And he didn't charge a cent to the boy's parents. Too bad that idiot went to prison a year after that for some other crimes.
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times / ANN): A 16-year-old student from River Valley High School (RVHS) was charged with the murder of a 13-year-old fellow student in a district court on Tuesday morning July 20.
The defendant cannot be named because he is under 18 years of age.
He appeared in court via video link to face an indictment of the murder of the 13-year-old on a fourth level toilet in the school on Monday between 11:16 a.m. and 11:44 a.m.
The 16-year-old wore a red polo T-shirt and mask. His hair was disheveled and his eyes darted around the room as the charges were read out.
The defendant, whose parents were not in court, was represented by attorney Peter Keith Fernando.
The prosecution requested that the defendant be taken to Changi Medical Center (CMC) for psychiatric observation.
The public prosecutor 's office informed the court that preliminary investigations had shown that the 16-year-old had already been examined at the Institute for Mental Health (IMH) in 2019 after a suicide attempt.
He was taken into custody for his safety, referred to the IMH for assessment and then released, the prosecutor said.
“Given the circumstances, we are submitting to him that he needs a psychiatric assessment,” said the prosecutor.
Fernando confirmed that his client’s parents had informed him of this incident, which occurred when the boy was in secon
dary school.
The boy is being held in custody for psychiatric observation at the CMC and is due to be tried on August 10th.
Those found guilty of murder can face the death penalty. However, those under the age of 18 are not sentenced to death and could instead be sentenced to life imprisonment.
At the morgue of the Singapore General Hospital, a police car arrived on the premises at around 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Three people dressed in black with lanyards got out of the vehicle with boxes. A second police car arrived at the morgue about 10 minutes later.
In a post on his Facebook page minutes after the boy was charged on Tuesday, Justice and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam described the incident as “one of the worst things that can happen to a parent.”
“It’s totally shocking because security is assumed and usually guaranteed (in Singapore anyway). The attacker is also a young boy (16), he was charged today. As (the Attorney General’s Chambers) told the court, there have been some mental health issues in the past, ”he wrote.
He also answered questions about how the boy got an ax that police had confiscated on Monday.
“Preliminary research suggests he bought it online. But we won’t know the full facts until the investigation is complete, ”Shanmugam wrote.
He added: “We all mourn with the parents of the boy who was killed. It is difficult to even describe the true extent of their grief. “
Police said in a statement on Monday that they had arrested the 16-year-old boy, a secondary school student, for alleged involvement in the death of a 13th secondary school student. Both boys are Singaporean.
At around 11:40 a.m. on Monday, police were called to the RVHS, where officers found the younger teenager with multiple wounds motionless in a toilet.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defense Force medic.
As the police announced, initial investigations revealed that the young people did not know each other.
An ax was also confiscated as a case exhibit.
Police said Monday they intend to obtain a court order to examine the teenager for a psychiatric evaluation.
On Monday, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said his ministry is providing all possible support to RVHS students and staff and their families.
In a Facebook post around 4:25 p.m., the minister said the safety and well-being of students and staff were of the utmost importance.
“We are all shocked to receive news of the tragic incident at River Valley High School this morning,” he said.
“We are working closely with the Singapore Police in the investigation and they will provide more details on the case in due course.”
He added that the ministry is determined to work with parents and students to keep schools safe and allow the children to grow up and learn together in a trustworthy environment.
“To all of our students, we will take care of you as always,” he wrote. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network