Drunken man pushes stranger into Singapore River, causing him to drown

New Paper

16-07-2025

Drunk after consuming two cans of beer, a man pushed another intoxicated man he did not know into the Singapore River and caused the latter to drown.
Prosecutors said Legha Pawan's act on June 30, 2024, which led to the death of Mr Jasbir Singh, 33, was unprovoked and done for no apparent reason.
On July 16, Legha, 22, was sentenced to two years' and 11 months' jail after he admitted to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt which causes grievous hurt.
Another charge of using criminal force on a woman the same night was taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Both Legha and Mr Singh are Indian nationals. Mr Singh was a construction worker and was married with two young children.
The court heard that Legha had come to Singapore to further his studies, and was enrolled in private educational institution Birmingham Academy at the time.
That evening, Legha and five of his housemates were in the Clarke Quay area, where they bought beer and snacks and chatted on the steps by the riverside. Other acquaintances soon joined them.
Before 10pm, an argument broke out and an intoxicated Legha pulled the hair of one of the women in the group. One of his housemates pulled Legha away and the group quickly dispersed.
Around 10 minutes later, Mr Singh was walking along the river. He had begun drinking heavily after his mother passed away a few months ago, and was intoxicated that night.
Legha returned alone to the spot where he and his friends were and approached Mr Singh, though they did not know each other.
Initially, Legha spoke quietly to Mr Singh, who was standing near the edge of the river with his back turned towards the waters.
Suddenly, Legha pushed Mr Singh once in the chest with both hands, causing him to fall backwards and roll down the steps into the river. He never resurfaced.
Legha fled the scene. He also removed his shirt and discarded it along a pavement to avoid being identified by the police.
A couple who witnessed the scene shouted for help and called for police.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team started searching for Mr Singh at about 10.35pm. They found his lifeless body at the bottom of the river at 2am the next day.
An autopsy showed he had drowned. He also had multiple lacerations and bruises - including at the back of his head, his neck and right eye - due to the fall.
After fleeing the scene, Legha took the train back to his flat and called one of his housemates to bring his backpack to a neighbouring block. Unaware of what had happened, his housemate did so.
At about 8am the next day, Legha returned to the flat, where he was arrested by the police.
During investigations, he claimed that he pushed Mr Singh as the older man had first grabbed hold onto and damaged his bangle, and had hurled vulgarities about his mother.
However, police investigations revealed no objective evidence supporting his claim.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin pointed out that in any event, Legha could have walked away from Mr Singh.
Calling his actions "disproportionate and unwarranted", DPP Jheong argued for him to be given 36 to 40 months' jail.
The prosecutor compared Legha's case to that of Jason Ong Bing Qi, 33, a man who swung his drunken friend to the ground outside a club and caused a fatal head injury.
Ong pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, also 33, and was sentenced to three years and six months' jail in March 2024.
DPP Jheong said both Legha and Ong had been intoxicated and so were their victims. They also fled the scene after their crimes.
In mitigation, Legha's lawyer Simran Kaur Sandhu said there was no weapon used, and that the push was not intended to target vulnerable parts of Mr Singh's body.
"He does regret that his decision to push the deceased has led to loss of a life," added Ms Sandhu.
District Judge Janet Wang said this was a tragic case that robbed a struggling young family of its sole breadwinner.
Legha had attacked a vulnerable victim whom he knew he could bully, and had taken out his frustrations with his group on friends on Mr Singh, added Judge Wang.
The judge said: "Even if the deceased did damage (Legha's) bangle and uttered vulgarities - both of which were not established -- the accused's actions were way in excess of proportion."