Latest news with #LeghaPawan
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Singapore jails Indian student for pushing drunk man into river who later died
A man was sentenced to just under three years' jail on Wednesday for pushing a drunk man, who fell into the Singapore River and drowned. Advertisement Legha Pawan, a 22-year-old Indian national, was given 35 months' jail. He pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to Jasbir Singh, 33, where the hurt caused turned out to be grievous hurt in the form of death. The charge had been downgraded from an earlier charge of causing death by a rash act. A second charge was taken into consideration. The court heard that Legha, a student, lived in Woodlands with several housemates. Advertisement On the evening of June 30 last year, Legha and his housemates left their flat for an evening out at Clarke Quay.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Malay Mail
Student jailed nearly three years for fatal push that sent drunk stranger into Singapore River
SINGAPORE, July 16 — A 22-year-old student was sentenced to 35 months' jail today for pushing a heavily intoxicated man into the Singapore River, leading to the man's death by drowning. According to Channel News Asia (CNA), Legha Pawan, an Indian national, pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to 33-year-old Jasbir Singh, where the injury ultimately led to the victim's death. The charge had been reduced from an earlier charge of causing death by a rash act. A second charge was taken into consideration. The court heard that on the night of June 30, 2024, Legha had gone out drinking with several housemates in Clarke Quay. The group consumed alcohol near the riverside close to the Paradox Singapore Merchant Court Hotel. Legha drank two cans of beer and got into a brief scuffle before the group dispersed. Around 10.10pm, Jasbir Singh, a construction worker, was walking alone along the riverbank. He had been drinking heavily after his mother's death two to three months earlier. Legha, who returned to the scene alone around 10.30pm, approached Singh, who was swaying and hugging a lamp post. The two were not acquainted. Eyewitnesses saw Legha speak quietly to Singh before suddenly pushing him in the chest. Singh, who had his back to the river, stumbled backwards, rolled down the steps and into the water. A couple nearby witnessed the incident and called the police. Legha fled the scene. The Singapore Civil Defence Force's Disaster Assistance Rescue Team launched a search. Singh's body was found around 2am on July 1, 2024. An autopsy confirmed drowning as the cause of death, with visible injuries on his neck and head. Toxicology results showed high alcohol content in his blood. After the incident, Legha removed his shirt to avoid detection, contacted a housemate to retrieve his backpack, and returned home only at 8am, when he was arrested. Legha claimed Singh had grabbed his bangle and insulted his mother, but police found no evidence. CNA reported prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin as saying Legha was aware the victim was intoxicated and that 'it was reasonably foreseeable that the push would cause grievous hurt.' She highlighted aggravating factors, including Legha's intoxication, the unprovoked push, and his failure to help. Defence lawyer Simran Kaur Sandhu sought 30 months' jail, arguing that both men were drunk and that no weapon was used. She described the shove as 'a generic push.' Legha could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000 (RM33,000), or both.
CNA
4 days ago
- CNA
Man gets jail for pushing drunk stranger into Singapore River; victim later found dead
SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced to just under three years' jail on Wednesday (Jul 16) for pushing a drunk man, who fell into the Singapore River and drowned. Legha Pawan, a 22-year-old Indian national, was given 35 months' jail. He pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to Jasbir Singh, 33, where the hurt caused turned out to be grievous hurt in the form of death. The charge had been downgraded from an earlier charge of causing death by a rash act. A second charge was taken into consideration. The court heard that Legha, a student, lived in Woodlands with several housemates. On the evening of Jun 30 last year, Legha and his housemates left their flat for an evening out at Clarke Quay. They bought six cans of beer, some cigarettes and snacks and sat down at the steps near the riverside, in the vicinity of Paradox Singapore Merchant Court Hotel and Clarke Quay Central mall. They spent the next few hours chatting and consuming alcohol, with Legha drinking two cans of beer. They were joined by other acquaintances along the way. Sometime before 10pm, an argument broke out among Legha's friends. An intoxicated Legha pulled the hair of one of his friends and was pulled away by another friend to prevent any escalation of the situation. The group then dispersed. Meanwhile, the victim was walking along the riverbank around 10.10pm. Mr Singh, a construction worker, was married and had two young children back in India who depended on him financially. He had begun drinking heavily about two or three months before the incident, after his mother died. He was not acquainted with Legha, and he stopped and hugged a lamp post near the area where Legha had been spending time with his friends. At about 10.30pm, Legha returned to the spot alone and approached Mr Singh. This immediately drew the attention of a couple nearby, who were wary of Legha after recognising him from the earlier disturbance. Initially, Legha spoke quietly to Mr Singh and made no body contact. Mr Singh stood near the edge of the river bank, with his back to the river. Legha knew that Mr Singh was very intoxicated, the court heard. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Legha pushed Mr Singh on his chest with both hands. Mr Singh fell backwards, rolled down the steps and fell into the Singapore River. Witnessing this, the nearby couple shouted. Mr Singh quickly became submerged in the water and did not resurface. The couple alerted the police, while Legha left the scene. The Singapore Civil Defence Force Disaster Assistance Rescue Team (DART) went down to the scene and assembled a diving team, which took turns canvassing the waters for periods of 30 to 45 minutes each. Initially, there was no sign of Mr Singh, save for a single white slipper that belonged to him. His body was found on the riverbed only at around 2am on Jul 1, 2024. He was pronounced dead soon after. An autopsy determined his cause of death to be drowning, and external injuries including a bruise to the back of his neck and a laceration on the back of his head were found. A toxicology report found an amount of ethanol in Mr Singh's blood which was indicative of a high level of intoxication, the court heard. After pushing Mr Singh, Legha removed his shirt to avoid police detection and took a train back to his home, where he called his unwitting housemate to meet him with his backpack at a different block. He did this intending to evade arrest, the court heard. Legha returned to his flat only at around 8am on Jul 1, 2024 and was promptly arrested. During investigations, he claimed that it was Mr Singh who first grabbed his bangle and damaged it. He claimed that he managed to free both his hands only after a short struggle, and got upset when Mr Singh used vulgarities against his mother. However, police investigations revealed no objective evidence supporting his claim. The prosecution said Legha knew that the victim was intoxicated. It was "reasonably foreseeable" that the push would cause grievous hurt, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin. She pointed out aggravating factors, including the fact that Legha was intoxicated, his act was unprovoked, and that he fled the scene without helping the victim. Defence lawyer Simran Kaur Sandhu sought 30 months' jail instead, saying both her client and the deceased were intoxicated. She highlighted that no weapon was used, and the push was "a generic push" not intended to target vulnerable points.
