Latest: Singapore single mother awaits death row in Malaysia for drug trafficking. On the pretext of a business trip to China, Iqah was handed a suitcase containing heroin arranged by her Nigerian boyfriend and was arrested by Malaysian Immigration. A campaign is underway to raise funds for the appeal. To find out more, read

We have also heard that since Vui Kong's appeal started, there has been an unofficial stay of execution for all prisoners on death row in Changi Prison, pending the decision of the court on Yong's case. As the case has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal, we anticipate a Changi gallows bloodbath in a scale not seen since the Pulau Senang uprising in 1965 when 18 men were convicted of murder and hanged in a single Friday morning.

Singapore, which routinely persecute dissenters and critics, continue to hang young drug runners while at the same time work closely with Burmese military generals, and has invested billions in business ties with Burma, one of the biggest heroin manufacturing countries the world.

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If you know someone who's charged in a capital case, received the death sentence, or is on death row in Singapore and if you have have your side of the story to tell, contact us at sgdeathpenalty [at] gmail.com


Friday, November 5, 2010

The truth behind Darren Ng's death - not just simple staring

Darren Ng, left, died from a fatal wound to the neck on the night of 30th Oct
Pro death penalty advocates in Singapore have been calling for the hanging of the 4 suspects caught after the crime scene at Downtown East that saw a 19 year old Polytechnic student brutally stabbed to death in public.

The reason for the strong reaction is easy to understand. The stabbing happened close to home - Downtown East, a holiday resort which most Singaporeans visit. Plus, these teenage boys must be hanged to give a strong signal to people who have the tendency to stab any passerbys looking in their general direction. Many Singaporeans call out with ease for the hanging of these assailants because if it happened to Darren Ng Wei Jie, it could also happen to anyone else. Anyone could become the next target, so let's hang them all to send a strong deterrence signal.

But is the story really that simple?

According to news report, Darren Ng's father told reporters that his son "died because of love for his friends". Mainstream news have all but reported the real story behind the stabbing, which occurred on the fateful night of 30th October 2010, preferring to go along the lines of a simple "staring incident" that caused Darren Ng's premature termination of life.

According to reliable sources, the lead assailant had been serving time in prison prior to the incident. Whether he was the one who actually wielded the weapon used against Darren in not known, but being a member of a certain gang triad, there was animosity brewing with another gang's member in prison, which happened to be Darren's friend. The connection with a certain triad is evident from a picture showing a tattoo on one of the assailant, Tang Jia Min, which was reported in the news.

When the lead assailant came out of prison, he was unable to locate Darren's friend. On the night Darren Ng was assaulted and killed at Downtown East, he recognised Darren's group of 3 as the friends of the enemy he made in prison.

This lead to a confrontation which resulted in a purchase of knives from the nearby supermarket and a mad 500m chase inside the holiday resort. Darren Ng was mobbed and stabbed repeatedly, one of which was fatal - a stab to Darren's throat which ripped his jugular vein. Darren died in hospital hours after the attack.

There are many questions left unanswered from the incident:

  • Was Darren Ng murdered or mobbed (with weapons), which resulted in his death? (The implications are important as they decide the charge and sentence of the accused persons)
  • Was it really a simple random staring incident resulting in a cold blooded murder?
  • Did Darren try to stand up for his gang member friend, which resulted in a confrontation and the mob attack?
  • How many of the dozen or so assailants were carrying weapons?
  • Was there a real intention to murder Darren, or were the knives use with the intent to cause serous injuries?
  • How many other suspects are still at large?
  • If 10 men mobbed and caused the death of one person, should all 10 be charged for murder, a crime which carries mandatory death sentence?
  • Out of the 4 arrested and charged for murder, who attacked Darren, how many were doing so because their peers were doing it?

Before these important questions can be answered, the unfortunate thing is that the public would have already formed their conclusion to the fate of the 4 who were first arrested, with some even calling for public execution for the "cold blooded murderers".

 Such is the ease at which Singaporeans call for the execution of these teenagers when they feel that their security have been compromised, regardless whether murder was the real intent when the assault took place, and regardless whether the mandatory death sentence actually works to prevent these crimes in the first place. This is the reason why the debate on the application of mandatory death penalty and death penalty must not be swept under the rug. Like the court of law, Singaporeans should know both sides to the story before forming a judgment on capital cases.

sgdeathpenalty

64 comments:

  1. If there's a choice, let's hang all gang members in Singapore. That might help to deter people from joining gangs.

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  2. Murder is murder...whatever the provocation or intent. A clear signal needs to be sent.

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  3. Murder is not just murder. There are different degrees, and then there's manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, aggravated assault, etc. This is so the sentencing and punishment will match the crime and the criminal (for example, a court would sentence a serial killer differently from a wife who stabbed her husband during an argument that turned violent).

    Although it was a horrific incident and such violence cannot be condoned, I don't really think the 4 suspects deserved to be charged with murder and facing the mandatory death penalty. Perhaps they should be charged with manslaughter instead?

    However, for us to decide, we should find out all the facts, instead of leaping to snap judgements. After all, 4 lives are now in the balance.

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  4. What are the roles of the State and the Society in all these unfortunate incidents?
    How are our youngs brought up by their parents(upbringings), schools(education) and the society(government and the public)?
    Has boredom, lack of moral and virtuous role models and materialism lead to the wayward cultures such as gangsterism, loose and variant sexualities and no respect, filial piety and propriety for elders and society at large.
    Have our youngs lost their bearings as they are not properly guided by their parents, teachers and political leaders????

    patriot

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  5. It seems the story is not as simple. Darren Ng was expelled from school weeks before this happened, and he was involved in gangs as well. When two opposing gangs meet and fight, something is bound to happen. It's not as innocent as a staring incident.

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    Replies
    1. so you guys should avoid becoming part of the PAP thugs.

      Delete
  6. There are two ways to look at it:

    1. To adopt the US of A system i.e.given full support from public defenders and NGOs or our sytem i.e. HANG them if proven guilty even with reasonable doubt if vote is 2 to 1.

    2. The choice of USA style of living where thugs and murderers roam free with no fear?

    OR
    Our safe streets ?

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  7. THE FOUR GANG LEADERS SHOULD BE HANGED MANY, MANY TIMES OVER. AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A LIFE FOR A LIFE!!!

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  8. I really don't think 4 suspects are charged with manslaughter because they bought choppers from the nearby shop. That's why it is an plan. They are very voilently and continued chopped Darren repeatedly many times. This shows they want to murder him. They shouted and raise "V" sign. 4 suspects are heartless and cold-blooded killer.
    I am sure God will send 4 suspects to the hell.
    I am sure that all 4 will be hanged.

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  9. you are going a great job.
    this clearer picture of how this unfortunte incident started, might allow some leeway for the boys charged.

    So young, so angry they did themself in.
    I was like that once and to an extend, still like that if something goes very wrong around me in this claustraphobic place.

    A sad incident.

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  10. intention is not motive. as long as the assailant intended to move his hand with the knife and to slash the portion of darren's body (i.e. it was not that he intended to stab the leg but darren moved suddenly and he ended up stabbing the throat) that resulted in the injury that caused death, it would be murder. if murder is found, the rest of his buddies will also be guilty of murder because of common intent, even if they did not even have a knife or did not even manage to touch him. all 10 can actually be guilty of murder if there was common intent to cause injury to darren, because in furtherance of that intent to cause injury, death was caused. a lesson to all to not hang out with gangsters..

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  11. not very important whether he was 'murdered or mobbed', neither is it relevant whether they were doing it because their peers were doing it, does not really matter if one was not carrying a weapon and did not touch the victim as long as common intent is shown..
    of course even if murder is shown it can be reduced to 'manslaughter' if killer manages to succeed with the exceptions of provocation or sudden fight

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  12. I am not bring ruthless, but sometimes when you read of such incidences, you really think you need a system like China where they shoot such criminals in the back of the head and make the family pay for the bullet used. They should surely send the right strong message to irresponsible parents and the criminals themselves.

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  13. It does raise an interesting question of why only 4 of them are arrested? What about the rest who were involved, including Darren's friends? Aren't they guilty too of other crimes for being involved?

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  14. Regardless of the real reason why Darren was killed. A life was lost and such uncalled for violence should be punised. It is for Singapore's Court to decide on the sentence based purely on the given evidence.
    Most Singaporeans will agree that capital punish should be kept in our laws because such crimes continue to exist in our society. The day when everyone on earth knows and does what is right and wrong will be day most Singaporeans want to abolish this punishment, but until that day comes.
    I will never feel strongly for anyone who commits crimes intentionly, which leads to the death penalty in Singapore. Unless this person is framed.

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  15. The saddest impact of this event is not only the loss of one young life, but the loss of youth in the 4 thus far charged; but also the wider impact it has upon the families of all 5 youths.

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  16. The saddest impact of OUR lives will be the day when our streets will be like that of USA - Gangland violence worse than the streets of Iraq.

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  17. nothing can justify killing of another life. Its obviously a pre-meditated, planned murder/killing with weapons and victim being chased around for long distances. The fact is the suspects don't give up and they gave chased and made sure that they do maximum harm to victim. Suspects may be young and impulsive but have more than enough time to think thru if their actions are appropriate. Let the murderers be punished according to the law. if its death penalty, so be it. sana apply for drug traffickers, they deserve to die. Period.

    It's harsh but we should send a strong signal that there are consequences to action. Don't be selfish, be considerate.

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  18. There is clear intent of murder by the gang. No need to pardon or reduced to manslaughter. The 10 suspects deserved to be hanged. So many witnesses at the crime scene saw how brutal the killings was.

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  19. I do not know how reliable is your source. According to your article, the lead assailant did not attack his enemy but supposedly a friend of his enemy and killed him. Under this circumstance, why should be show any sympathy to the lead assailant.

    Since u oppose the death penalty, u could be friends with some gang members. One day, if u are killed like Darren,should we said that u had it coming because u associate with gang members?

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  20. Seriously, is this a joke ? Buying a deadly weapon (knives) right before the chase show intent, this is not a manslaughter. If intent was to inflict injuries, given that they outnumbered the victims they could have kicked and punched them just the same.

    They deserve the death penalty, they should have thought about consequences and perhaps it will give a pause to others like them. And if it doesn't I see nothing wrong with them losing their lives.

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  21. they deserve a death sentence.HANG them to DEATH.

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  22. just hang them !
    since they bought the weapon at supermarket they already have the intention to attack one...
    and they attacked darren because darren is their enemy friend .
    how stupid is this ?
    just go to hell serious ...

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  23. Actually, jailing them for 10 or more years is alot better in the case of youths as they can be changed. Excons who steal and attack, they all come out changed somehow. Even if the government has to hang someone, i say hang the knife wielder. Only because of severity. The rest, lock em up for good number of years.

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  24. Do we really need 4 more funerals? Just jail them...

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  25. For those who disagrees with the death penalty. For onlookers like us, we think that death penalty may seemed too harsh for these young adults. But what would your verdict be if it was somebody that you knew that was killed in this incident? Put yourself in the victim's situation. Would you just wanna jail them?

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  26. Everyone deserves a second chance . That's what the yellow ribbon project is for .

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  27. 5.15am, if the one killed is your son, would you still want the 4 killers to have the yellow ribbon and let bygone be bygone? It is easy when it happen to people you do not know. It is just a news item to you.

    For my perspective, we dont need to hang all ten, jut those that have the knives and did the attack. All those should be hanged. The rest lock up for 10 years.

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  28. You are assuming that everybody whose child was killed wants justice to be served by hanging the assailants. Now using the same question from another perspective,If one of the 4 kids is your son, will you want him to get hanged? Some will say yes, but that's becos they're just putting themselves in a hypothetical scenario over the 'puter screen. These kind of questions just don't cut it...

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  29. As a mother of young children, I want a safe place for my childre to live in. I think the killing of Darren was violent and vicious. Not sure if just sending those 4 to jail can make them better people. Usually if you DO IT once, it gets easier to do it again.

    Meanitme, I always tell me son not to look at gangster and move far far away from them when he sees them to avoid trouble.

    I feel sorry if those 4 get hung. Usually human don't start off rotten. These kids are like these because of environment and dysfunctional families.

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  30. Late Darren's angry family, relative and friends want all 10 suspects to be hanged. Many parents are worried if 10 suspects are alive, they may kill their son. if 10 suspects hanged, many parents will be relieved for their sons safety.
    4 suspects are very dumb ! they never think the strict law is death penalty if they murder him.

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  31. Those 4 should seriously get the maximum punishment. One of them just came out from the jail, and right now he's doing such thing. Worst stil, I'm pretty sure it was much more serious then his first case. Second chance? No way. They were still so arrogant after the vicious attack. This shows that they don't even care. Yes, it takes 2 hands to clap but EVEN if it was the victim who started the fight, is there a need to use such deadly weapons? Is there a need to cause such serious injuries to the victim? Is there a need to chase the victim for such a long distance to hack him repeatedly over and over again? To be fair, not ALL 10 should be hanged. But like what others have said, those who wielded the knives and had caused damage to the victim with it should be hanged. The motive was already there. And to those who thinks that none of them should be hanged, what if the victim was your own son or your relative, will you still say the same thing?

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  32. Hang the cashiers that sold the weapons. Obviously they facilitated the muder. Which dickhead would sell choppers to teens? Did they think those kids were chef?

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  33. If cashier was told that buyer is going to use the knife to kill someone, yeah cashier should be in jail, otherwise I don't think any of the cashiers are endowed with mind reading facilities. Only these murderers were aware of the intended use.

    For those who are trying to appeal by saying what if your son was the one of the 4, please, normal, non-dysfunctional families are overwhelming majority, it's very easy for normal parents imagine their sons being killed by idiots like wanna-ba gangsters and quite impossible to put their sons in the position of the violent murderer, that's why you are not going to get any mileage from that appeal.

    And statistic is on my side, propensity of young person to engage in murderous violent activity is few orders of magnitude lower for normal vs dysfunctional family. So spare us the bull shit.

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  34. Public hanging please - cane them in public, preferrably outside the Istana and then hang all 4 or 10 of them to die there!

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  35. 6.50am, we can argue until the cow comes home cause we are just bystanders. The best test since you are aginst hanging the killers would be for you to ask your son if you have any to provoke a bunch of gangsters and then got kill. I would like then to see you stating that they should not be hanged, let bygone be bygone, hug and kiss them and show care for their unfortunate background etc.

    I have always told my kids to avoid people like these, dont stay out too late to avoid trouble precisely in Singapore, we still have at least a few hundred of these peole around, ever ready to dish out punishment to the law abiding kids for their pleasure and extra large ego and have nothing better to do.

    I am all for the society trying to help these people with unfortunate background. But most often those killed were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    By the way, you can pay respect at the kid's funeral and then ask the parents whether he can pardon them. Use your persuasive skill to convince them. But at their current emotional stage, I am not sure whether they would let you leave the place unharm after the serious provocation!

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  36. It is simple. A life for a life.

    Whatever the cause of provocation, the attackers would have known what it took to take away a life and they still carried on slashing the victim. If they had wanted to cause serious injuries to the victim, the slashing would not take place till death.

    Therefore, i believe, if found guilty of murder, they should be sent to the gallows

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  37. let us not forget the 5 FT Ibzan(headhunter) from sarawak who killed a blanga and seriously injured the RI NS boy.What happen to them?why was the press coverage so merciful to them?

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  38. Regardless you are mobbed or murdered. A life is taken. I do not believe in taking a human life for whatever reason. But if these four or ten is found guilty by the law and sentence to death, they should donate whatever useful organs to prolong others life that are struggling to live. Since they fail to see the value of life. Better gave it to those who wants to. This is the minimal one can do to atone for the life they have taken.

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  39. Darren had died for a foolish reason and he had to bear part of the fault. I was brought up in gangster infected district of Redhill and we always avoid making friends with the gang members as we know we can easily get into trouble for nothing.

    Murder or not, the gang members had to be punished severely to deter gang fights. My Australian friends with a young daughter(10 yr old) had also feel that Australia laws are getting way to light and the youngters are very violent. They hoped that their law can become stricter to be a effective deterrence.

    If you want a more peaceful environment, you can't go too soft on the law, because people don't change if they are not getting the pain.

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  40. Folks please note the physical size of singapore...

    Yes the death penalty is harsh...and we must do all we can that only those who deserve to died for their crimes received it...

    For these "know it all but ignorant men" who participate in the killing of Darren Ng, they should pay the price if found guilty based on the physical evidence and based on close association to the crime...and if we were to try to understand the circumstances and how the penalty should be adjusted to the crime...we are opening a can of worms and multitudes of gray areas for such similar murder/killing crimes in the future [except for those in self defence or "accidental" deaths or "proven" mental illness]...

    With these "gray" areas created...how many high security prisons Singapore will then need to have? If any tom, dick or harry says he participate in a killing/murder because of his "love of his friends" or he wasn't the one who hold the murder weopon/s or he has no "intent" to kill due to sensitive emotions which cause him to attack someone...so how... sentence these people to life imprisonment or a for a long term prison...but i re-interate again how many prisons can Singapore built and has the capacity to hold more of these "grey in the area" criminals...

    From what i understand currently, Singapore prisons are already bursting at the seams...

    probably part of the reason for the idiotic yellow ribbon project which is a joke [mercy should be decided by a panel and how much has the convict "really" and "truely" changed for the betterment of society at large]...weird...mercy for the criminals but how about the victims who were originally victimized...no mercy for the victims is it?

    But i digress...please examine the facts and be realistic what Singapore can and cannot do because of the real physical space constraints and "real" living space.

    Forgiveness is fine...but idiocy will only make the less bold more bold to the idiots expense and further loss of lives...

    Sad.

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  41. Can any of you remember the Pulau Senang riots? Eighteen were hung for the murder of Supt. Dutton (the Warden) and one other from memory. The sanctity of human life must remain guarded to the hilt. As for drug traffickers, show them no mercy either...the death penalty must apply. As for all those involved in Darren Ng's murder (if proven), they should all hang if it was clear cut murder. I am not a lawyer but I believe it is called "common intention". I wish we had Singapore's laws in Australia for drugs, rape, murder and other major crimes. This is the only deterrent for such serious crimes. They get away with murder in Australia (excuse the pun). I am an Australian who lived in Singapore for 37 years and I still support the laws there now, as I did when I lived there. Good on ya Singapore!

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  42. Make sure after hanging paste their photos in all schools notice board as a reminder to students not to be involved in gangs and also the consequences of doing so.

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  43. People like you think that you are unbiased and are just shedding light on the situation. That darren might not have been as innocent as he seems to have been portrayed. Maybe he wasnt. but how sure are you that he was or wasnt unless you were there. The 4 fuckers that killed him deserve death.
    Maybe you say that they dont becuase it might not be their fault to begin with. You said that-

    "When the lead assailant came out of prison, he was unable to locate Darren's friend. On the night Darren Ng was assaulted and killed at Downtown East, he recognised Darren's group of 3 as the friends of the enemy he made in prison.

    This lead to a confrontation which resulted in a purchase of knives from the nearby supermarket and a mad 500m chase inside the holiday resort. Darren Ng was mobbed and stabbed repeatedly, one of which was fatal - a stab to Darren's throat which ripped his jugular vein. Darren died in hospital hours after the attack."

    One of the fuckers was already in prison, this just proves that prison wont do people like this any good. They are not the least fearful of it. AND tell me this, you already wrote that darren was stabbed fatally- maybe to you, being stabbed fatally is a form of childplay huh?

    All the different actions that those 4 fuckers did brings us to this conclusion. THEY DESERVE DEATH! No matter what, does Darren deserve death just because his friends were targetted by that fucker?

    Self righteous people like you truly disgust me. You think that your trying to act all impartial and trynig to shed a new light. Wait till someone you love gets brutally murdered like this, then YOU tell me whether those fuckers deserve the death sentence

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  44. Some may believe that the law should hang them all, but the law should justifiably be outside common opinion and impartially decide based on the facts and circumstances of the case. Regarding many opinions of 'common intent' stated here, it might be useful to gain some proper legal knowledge of the stance of the courts in Singapore before jumping to conclusions and demanding the hanging of all 10 simply because of 'common intent'.

    The facts of the stabbing at Downtown East have yet to be conclusively decided and right now there are still points made that are not substantiated. No court should make decisions of capital punishment based simply on emotion. The rules of law, as 'cold' as you may view it to be, has to be fulfilled.

    Leaving the question of the facts (undetermined) at this point, common intention is held by the judges to require the establishment "beyond any shadow of doubt that the criminal act was done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all. In other words, the prosecution must prove facts to justify an inference that all the participants of the act had shared a common intention to commit the criminal act which was finally committed by one or more of the participants."

    See the case stated by the Singapore Law Watch (Criminal Appeal case decided in 2010.
    http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/remweb/legal/ln2/rss/judgment/11595.html?utm_source=rss%20subscription&utm_medium=rss

    In the context of this case, the prosecution has to prove that all 10 had the common intention to kill Darren. It is not sufficient for the other 9 to have the intent to cause Darren harm. The common intent must be the intent to kill, else the common intent requirement will fail. That is not to say that the rest cannot be charged under another offence, but it would not be right for all 10 to be charged for murder, if that was not their common intent. The criminal act done by the actual doer which results in the offence charged would be considered to be done in furtherance of the common intention of all the offenders only if that common intention includes an intention to commit the very criminal act done by the actual doer.

    The one person who stabbed Darren in the throat was guilty of murder, there's no doubt about that. As for the other 9, it is for the courts to decide, not you.

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  45. Lets wait to see when the rest being arrested...

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  46. when a group of people come together and inflict harm on a person, the members cannot say that they have no common intent, for if they can say that and get away with it,then that is as good as saying that there is no law, or a need to have a law guiding on such matters. When a member or more from that gang purchased knives prior to a confrontational meeting with someone, they are not buying it to prepare a meal, aren't they?. The rest of the gang cannot say that they did not know that someone is carrying a knife or parang, for are they blind or what?. Despite being superior in numerical numbers, the gang still had to purchase the knives knowing fully well the damage they could inflict on the lesser group. If there was no common intent from all of them to inflict death, then what is?.

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  47. it all started when darren a;ways came to woodland blk 806 to smoke and act ,behave in a gangsterly manner. don't follow ,listen and obey RP rules, and he become bolder and garang so end up like that. all student don't smoke here or i will call 806 and 999 to get you.

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  48. With all due respect, I pay my condolescence to Darren's family. Undeniably, this is a tragedy and actions of the perpetrators should be taken seriously.Sure, there is much hate and rage against them and we can't wait to get them terminated to punish them and avoid such incidence from happening again but we need to look from both perspectives.

    Most of the perpetrators come from complicated background, poor upbringing and at that life stage, they are easily influenced by their peers. I'm not saying they should be pardoned because of these factors but I would like you to understand that they are unlike the majority of us, which sometimes can take what we have for granted. For eg, we experience love and therefore we know how to love, values are strongly inculcated in us and therefore we hold them as our principles in life. However,some of them might not have such fundermental experiences to shape their values and are easily misled by wrong values. Sure at this age, they should be aware of the basics of right and wrong, but these are not integrated deeply in them. Therefore at a time of impusivity and under the heavy peer influence, values of what is right are just not strongly held in them.

    I always believe that deep in all of man, we would want the better for ourselves, a better job, a good family, a better future etc. None of us wants to end up being an outcast of society or the lowest of society. But why do these youth did what they did? This is simply because they are not taught to understand and more importantly, to INTEGRATE the importance of doing what's right.

    Therefore, it may seemed that their actions are totally absurd or unforgivable. Of course at face value, I admitted to such rage but if you were to look deeper into their life stories, you may find insights to their actions. Dont' get me wrong, I am absolutely for the stand to take their actions seriously however I am not for capital punishment. Sure we have to punish them hard but surely, there should be another alternative to just capital punishment.

    I felt that they should be given long-term imprisonment. One, as a form of deterrence and put a halt to their actions. Secondly, rehabilitation in prison can help them gain insight and the importance of social justice. Third, it is to give them a chance to atone for their sins. Don't teach the public to stop murder by murdering them. Some of us have taken for granted the value of life, it is so precious and it is like a miracle happening every second that we are living. To just being able to breathe, move and talk, though seemed really a common thing that we may take for granted, are what some people who are unable to do may yearn for. (for eg, the sick). So dont' take the lives of these youth away for I believe a greater good can come out of them.

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  49. With all due respect, I pay my condolescence to Darren's family. Undeniably, this is a tragedy and actions of the perpetrators should be taken seriously.Sure, there is much hate and rage against them and we can't wait to get them terminated to punish them and avoid such incidence from happening again but we need to look from both perspectives.

    Most of the perpetrators come from complicated background, poor upbringing and at that life stage, they are easily influenced by their peers. I'm not saying they should be pardoned because of these factors but I would like you to understand that they are unlike the majority of us, which sometimes can take what we have for granted. For eg, we experience love and therefore we know how to love, values are strongly inculcated in us and therefore we hold them as our principles in life. However,some of them might not have such fundermental experiences to shape their values and are easily misled by wrong values. Sure at this age, they should be aware of the basics of right and wrong, but these are not integrated deeply in them. Therefore at a time of impusivity and under the heavy peer influence, values of what is right are just not strongly held in them.

    I always believe that deep in all of man, we would want the better for ourselves, a better job, a good family, a better future etc. None of us wants to end up being an outcast of society or the lowest of society. But why do these youth did what they did? This is simply because they are not taught to understand and more importantly, to INTEGRATE the importance of doing what's right.

    Therefore, it may seemed that their actions are totally absurd or unforgivable. Of course at face value, I admitted to such rage but if you were to look deeper into their life stories, you may find insights to their actions. Dont' get me wrong, I am absolutely for the stand to take their actions seriously however I am not for capital punishment. Sure we have to punish them hard but surely, there should be another alternative to just capital punishment.

    I felt that they should be given long-term imprisonment. One, as a form of deterrence and put a halt to their actions. Secondly, rehabilitation in prison can help them gain insight and the importance of social justice. Third, it is to give them a chance to atone for their sins. Don't teach the public to stop murder by murdering them. Some of us have taken for granted the value of life, it is so precious and it is like a miracle happening every second that we are living. To just being able to breathe, move and talk, though seemed really a common thing that we may take for granted, are what some people who are unable to do may yearn for. (for eg, the sick). So dont' take the lives of these youth away for I believe a greater good can come out of them.

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  50. Is an eye for an eye approach suited?? Do you rape a rapist, steal from a thief?? More importantly,why do we have to stoop to their level of taking lives!If we are for capital punishment, aren't we condoning such acts?

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  51. To add on, dont compromise on our own moral and ethics and conform to the rigidity of the law!

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  52. Who is Mr Francis Ng? His picture seem similar to another Francis Ng I seen in another website.

    No doubt it is sad that Darren has died, the more important question is how should innocent people stay alive in situation like this?

    Mugging and Slashing occur everyday in any other country in the world, Japan, Korea, UK, US etc and they don't deny that it happen. The more we live in delusion, that these things are in the minority, and go crazy each time something of this nature happen, we are just ensuring that it will occur again.

    Should they be hanged, should they not be hang. The United States execute the death penalty as well, and yet there are so few comments on their decision not to abolish it.

    In time of peace, we can debate about should or shouldn't. Yet ask the family of the 9/11 victim should the terrorist be hanged, and go reason and preached to them, that it is wrong to hang an innocent and living man, who participated but is not the mastermind of the 9/11 bombing. Go figure.

    Chances are, not all 4 or 6 or 10 of the people will be hang, if any at all. But that we can only wait and see.

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  53. The solitude in prison will make them go crazy and when execution day comes these so called tough fellows will regret for what they have done.

    Probably their legs will tremble, urinate and shit in their pants when escorted to the gallows. Judgement day will come and the feeling of this kind of death is far worst off than they can imagine.

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  54. The 4 or 10 members who killed should not be hanged.Instead, chop off their 2 hands and legs and sent them back to thier gang members.Let them live and suffer for life.Should follow the iran law style.

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  55. Just hang all of them..Singapore is already over populated..its time to get rid of 'good for nothing' citizens if Singapore wants to progress. Stricter laws must be applied. What is wrong with our justice system?. What is there to pity?. You dare to kill somebody viciously in public, you re not humane. Why wanna waste money keeping them in jail and who is going to guarantee that they won't kill again in future..Please just hang them and close case so we can move forward.

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  56. Im glad that these trash of society are put away where they rightfully belong. Though, with that said, it does not mean I stand on Darren’s side. It takes two hands to clap. By being a gang member himself, he brought his fate upon himself. Play with fire and you’ll get burnt. Im appalled that everyone placed him on a pedastal, mourning him.. as if he was a respected marty, when in fact, he’s no better than the gangsters who took his life. Everyone seems to have forgotten that Darren was a gangster himself, and was in fact at downtown east for a gang fight.

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  57. When will the verdict be out ?

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  58. has they been sentence....

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  59. Darren deserved what he got. The 4 should swing. Simple.

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  60. while foreigners are swarming our country... we have these stupid kids wasting their lives... stare... gang... brother... oh so glorious... my foot.

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  61. Mandatory death sentence upon conviction should be abolished but the judge should have the option to impose a death penalty or a lesser sentence after careful consideration of evidence and circumstances after a fair trial.

    From what I have read of this case, there was the purchase of knives which indicates a possible intent to terrify, injure of kill. This fight and unfortunate death didn't result from some drunken brawl, a fistfight over a woman or something like that at a moment of intense passion.

    Sure, the socio-economic circumstances of why these young men got into gangs is something which should be looked into but at the same time, I find the bleeding heart western liberal attitude of more sympathy for the perpetrator than the victim to only encourage perpetrators to use such arguments or their own circumstances to justify their actions and to blame society for their wrong doings.

    Whilst it should always not have to be, still, in some cases, it needs the fear of punishment, including the death penalty to deter some people from doing something wrong.

    What workable alternatives do those who are so against a justly and appropriately imposed death penalty have to offer besides ranting and raving against those who support it.


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