Jail for drunken man who shoved stranger into Singapore River, causing him to drown

The Star

16-07-2025

Legha Pawan, 22, pushed Jasbir Singh once in the chest with both hands, causing him to fall backwards and roll down the steps into the Singapore River. - LIANHE ZAOBAO READER
SINGAPORE: 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 Jasbir Singh, 33, was unprovoked and done for no apparent reason.
On Wednesday (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 Jasbir are Indian nationals. Jasbir, 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, Jasbir 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 Jasbir, although they did not know each other.
Initially, Legha spoke quietly to Jasbir, who was standing near the edge of the river with his back turned towards the waters.
Suddenly, Legha pushed Jasbir 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 Jasbir 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 Jasbir 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 Jasbir.
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 Jasbir's body.
'He does regret that his decision to push the deceased has led to loss of a life,' Simran 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 Jasbir, 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. - The Straits Times/ANN