
Jail for drunken man who shoved stranger into Singapore River, causing him to drown, Singapore News
Prosecutors said Legha Pawan's act on June 30, 2024, which led to the death of 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 sentencing.
Both Legha and Singh are Indian nationals. Singh, a construction worker, was married and had two young children.
The court heard that Legha had come to Singapore to further his studies and was enrolled at the 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 sat on the steps by the riverside talking. 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 him away, and the group quickly dispersed.
Around 10 minutes later, Singh was walking along the river. He had begun drinking heavily after his mother died a few months earlier and was intoxicated that night.
Legha returned alone to the spot where he and his friends had been and approached Singh, although they did not know each other.
Initially, Legha spoke quietly to Singh, who was standing near the edge of the river with his back turned towards the waters.
Suddenly, Legha pushed 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 then fled the scene. He 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 the police.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team started searching for 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 had multiple lacerations and bruises — including at the back of his head, neck and right eye — from 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 Singh as the older man had first grabbed hold of and damaged his bangle and had hurled vulgarities about his mother.
But 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 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 with that of Jason Ong Bing Qi, 33, a man who swung his drunken friend to the ground outside a club, causing 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 Singh's body.
"He does regret that his decision to push the deceased has led to loss of a life," Sandhu said.
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 of friends on Singh, Judge Wang added.
"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," the judge said.
[[nid:716919]]
This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Pritam Singh had hoped WP would ‘tip one or two more constituencies' at GE
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – The Workers' Party was hoping to win one or two new constituencies at the May general election, and had come close, though it was not enough to succeed, said party chief Pritam Singh on Aug 4. 'It was a difficult election for us. As a small political party, obviously, elections are going to be difficult, but we did our best,' he said, speaking on The Big Show on Kiss92 FM. The WP fielded 26 candidates, including 14 new faces , at the general election. In the end, the party won 10 seats to entrench its incumbent positions in Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC, but failed to make inroads in the new constituencies it contested including Punggol GRC, Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC. Asked by DJs Glenn Ong and Angelique Teo about the electoral showing, Mr Singh said that he had hoped the party would 'tip one or two more constituencies'. '(We) came close, not close enough. But that just tells you there's still work to do. So we go at it again,' he added, speaking in what he said was his first radio interview. The WP had drawn flak from other opposition parties for not contesting Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC , where the party had covered the ground, leading to an unexpected walkover win for the PAP on Nomination Day. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Eu Yan Sang warns of counterfeits of its health supplements being sold online Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun Mr Singh, who is Leader of the Opposition, said on the radio show that the party had decided to change its strategy after studying the boundary changes by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee. WP had contested in Marine Parade GRC in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, getting 35.93 per cent and 42.26 per cent of the vote share respectively. In the most recent election, the constituency had absorbed MacPherson SMC and an adjacent polling district from Mountbatten SMC , and also ceded the Chai Chee and Joo Chiat areas to East Coast GRC. Asked about how boundary changes impacted his party's strategy, Mr Singh said: 'Before the elections, you have the boundary review committee which always sort of resets the playing board, and of course when the playing board is reset, you've got to reset your strategy.' He added that the party was looking at the electoral map not just for one election, but for the future as well, and decided it had to 'pivot'. 'Ultimately, you've got only that many cards in your hands, only that many candidates who are prepared to fly the flag, and we decided that the strategy for the party was important. 'But we still hang around a lot in the Marine Parade area. Generally we are more familiar with the eastern part of Singapore.' Mr Singh also spoke about his party's candidates at the recent general election, saying that he thought they did incredibly well, though he did not name names. He said that he was encouraged by the number of people who were prepared to step up to volunteer with the party and to contest the election under its banner. 'The value proposition we're providing you is a very difficult journey. It speaks of these candidates who have chosen to enter the ring... It speaks a lot for themselves and their character,' he said. He added that an important trait for opposition candidates is someone who is prepared to work hard, 'because you don't really have much wind behind you to push you forward, you've got to create that wind through your own energy and own effort'. Mr Singh also touched on topics ranging from his favourite sport to his favourite band, and what his childhood was like. He likes football, though he does not play frequently any more and often regrets it after a kick-around because of the muscle aches; he likes Irish rock band U2, and had a carefree childhood where his parents allowed him to do what he wanted. He also took pre-recorded questions from eight young Singaporeans ranging from four to 11 years of age. One of them asked him if politics in Singapore is fair, and if all parties play by the same rules. To this, Mr Singh said: 'I think we should always endeavour to develop and nourish a system where the rules are the same for everyone. 'I'd like to think that that's the road we're on, and we should remain on that road.'

Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The accident happened along Bideford Road, between Paragon shopping centre and Al-Falah Mosque. SINGAPORE - A 26-year-old female pedestrian was taken conscious to the hospital after she was struck by a car near Orchard Road on the morning of Aug 2 . A dashcam video posted on Facebook page Singapore Incidents shows a car travelling along the extreme right lane of Bideford Road, next to Paragon shopping centre. As the car approaches the overhead bridge connecting the mall and Al-Falah Mosque, a lorry in the middle lane can be seen applying its brakes, just before a woman dashes across the extreme right lane. She is then hit by the car, shattering the vehicle's windshield. The impact sends the woman tumbling onto the road. The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 10am on Aug 2. A 26-year-old female pedestrian was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital , SCDF said. A male car driver, 43 , is assisting with investigations, police said. This is the latest accident involving pedestrians caught in dangerous situations while crossing the road. On July 29, a boy knocked into a taxi after dashing across a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Hougang Avenue 9 . At the time of the accident, the red man pedestrian signal was showing. On July 23, a nine-year-old boy was taken conscious to the hospital after an accident involving a car at the junction of Moulmein Road and Sinaran Drive . A Facebook video shows the unaccompanied boy running across the road although an overhead bridge is nearby.


AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
2 Singaporeans arrested for leaving Malaysia illegally via land checkpoints, Singapore News
Two Singaporeans and an Indian national were arrested in separate incidents for attempting to leave Malaysia illegally via a "major land checkpoint" on motorcycles. The men, who are in their 20s and 30s, were detained by the Malaysian Immigration Department and are now under investigation, reported The Star on Friday (Aug 1). In the first incident, a Singaporean man allegedly entered Johor Bahru on motorcycle without having his passport stamped and was caught while trying to exit Malaysia. While he claimed he had taken the wrong route, investigations suggest he had entered the country using an unmanned motorcycle lane at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigrations and Quarantine Complex in Johor. The second case involved two men, a Singaporean and an Indian National, who were travelling by motorcycle. Both were stopped after it was found that they had no entry records in the system. All three men are being investigated under Section 6(1)(C) of Malaysia's Immigration Act for entering the country without valid documentation. If convicted, the men face up to RM10,000 (S$3,000) in fines, a maximum of five years' jail, and up to six strokes of the cane. A police source confirmed that police reports have been filed in connection with both incidents. The Malaysian Immigration Department has carried out special operations to clamp down on Malaysians and Singaporeans attempting to bypass passport checks at both BSI and the Second Link. An official said foreigners must learn that it is an offence to enter or exit Malaysia without presenting their passports and issued a warning to the thousands of motorcyclists using the land routes between Malaysia and Singapore to not resort to shortcuts. The immigration department also cited previous cases, where Malaysian motorcyclists rushing to work faced stiff penalties for failing to scan their passports. [[nid:720663]] melissateo@