A 58-year-old man murdered his brother-in-law almost 20 years ago. The court had sent him to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) as he was considered mentally ill. But on Thursday, April 19 he pleaded guilty to stabbing and causing the death of another victim and the court did not spare him.
Last time, the accused, Yaacob Mohamed Yatim, was arrested for killing his brother-in-law after a domestic dispute in 1999. But he was found to be suffering from epilepsy and a mental disorder. So the charge was withdrawn and he was admitted to IMH from 2000 to 2007.
After spending seven years in the mental institution, on May 3, 2015, Yaacob committed yet another murder of Abdul Rashid Mohd Nenggal at around 9 pm. But this time, the court did not show any mercy and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Reports stated that Yaacob went to a coffee shop in Geylang, where he met with the 48-year-old Rashid. Suddenly the situation became violent between them and Rashid punched Yaacob. The coffee shop owner somehow managed to pull Rashid away from the accused. Then Yaacob went to a nearby supermarket and bought a knife with a 13 cm-long blade. He returned to the coffee shop and attacked the victim in the back.
Even though Rashid tried to escape from the location to save his own life, the accused followed him on to the road leading from Sims Avenue to Guillemard Road, where he trapped the victim and kicked him in the face. Meanwhile, the coffee shop owner reached the location and saw that Rashid was laying on the floor and the Yaacob was holding a knife.
When the injured man was taken to the hospital, the medical staff pronounced him dead.
In Singapore, murder is defined under Section 300 of the Penal Code. If a person found guilty under S300(a) will be punished with the mandatory death penalty, while the offenders under S300(b),(c) and (d) will be punished with either death or life imprisonment, and also be liable to caning if not punished with death.
