10 years' jail for man who fled to Thailand after stabbing

This article is more than 12 months old

Columnist

Apr 21, 2016 06:01 am

They were thankful when he received a 10-year jail sentence yesterday.

See Chee Keong's family wanted him to "face responsibility" for his actions which caused the death of another man on May 17, 2000.

Yesterday, Justice Chan Seng Onn found See guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder for stabbing Mr Leong Fook Weng in the heart and neck with a 5cm blade hidden in a lighter.

Mr Leong, 36, was attacked by See and his four accomplices on the way to a vacant plot along Kheam Hock Road, off Dunearn Road.

Mr Leong Fook Weng

See's younger brother, Mr See Kok Keong, told The New Paper his elder brother, now 50, became a changed man while in a Cambodian prison, where he converted to Christianity.

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Said Kok Keong, 49: "We told him he had a lot to look forward to back in Singapore.

"He has his grandson and his family here. Fortunately, he made peace with himself.

"He has decided not to run away from the law any more and face his responsibilities here ."

Kok Keong was in court with his sister, See's ex-wife and the couple's children.

See had fled to Thailand on May 18, 2000, a day after the attack.

In December that year, he was caught at Phnom Penh Airport in Cambodia while attempting to smuggle drugs to Kuala Lumpur.

He was later sentenced to 18 years' jail for drug trafficking.

After spending 13 years in jail, See received a royal pardon and was released on Nov 26, 2013. He was deported to Singapore the next day and was arrested on arrival.

On the stabbing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Anandan Bala said the attack on Mr Leong was "premeditated and prolonged".

Mr Leong had apparently been targeted for his arrogance and gang disloyalty.

Some time before 4.30am on May 17, 2000, See and four others, who were having supper at a shop in River Valley Road, were unhappy with Mr Leong.

They wanted to teach Mr Leong a lesson for switching loyalty from Ang Soon Tong to Loh Kuan secret society.

From the time Mr Leong was located at a wake in Upper Boon Keng Road, he was assaulted a total of four times by See and his accomplices.

Mr Leong was attacked at the wake, at a petrol station near Tanjong Katong Road and in the back seat of See's car while on the way to the vacant plot in Kheam Hock Road.

The final and fatal attack, which lasted no more than 15 minutes, happened between 4.30 and 6.30am at the vacant land.

Mr Leong's body was discovered only in his underwear a few hours later.

See's stab to Mr Leong's heart resulted in "acute haemorrhage" which likely led to his death.

Defence lawyer James Bahadur Masih had argued for a sentence of eight years in jail, saying See was remorseful after leading a miserable life in Cambodia.

There was no intention to kill Mr Leong as his client only wanted to "teach him a lesson".

He said See, who has three adult children from his first wife and a teenage son from his second marriage, had missed his family.

Said Mr Masih: "Even though this was for a different offence, the reason he had to spend time in jail was because when he fled Singapore, he became a fugitive and began to deal in drug trafficking to earn a living."

However, DPP Anandan said See's "suffering" in Cambodia should not be seen as a mitigating factor as See had "run away and engaged in serious crimes in Cambodia".

While two of See's accomplices had been dealt with by the law, two others are still at large. (See pictures below.)

THE MEN INVOLVED IN THE MURDER