Aug. 16
SINGAPORE:
Death penalty overturned for man who killed girlfriend
A 25-year-old man facing the death penalty had his sentence successfully
overturned and the charge reduced to one of culpable homicide at the Court of
Appeal yesterday.
Pathip Selvan Sugumaran was convicted by the High Court in 2010 of murdering
his then 18-year-old girlfriend Jeevitha Panippan.
In 2008, Panippan, who was a part-time nursery teacher and studying for her O
levels, was found dead with knife wounds on the neck and upper body.
She had been stabbed and found on a perimeter pavement behind an SP PowerGrid
substation opposite Block 154, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.
During the earlier trial in 2010, Justice Kan Ting Chiu rejected Pathip's
defence that he was provoked to kill his girlfriend.
She had allegedly told him that his love rival was better in bed.
In a 37-page written judgment issued yesterday, the Court of Appeal said the
Judge was "mistaken in concluding that all she said was the other person was a
'better lover' and that the words uttered could not amount to a grave
provocation".
In considering Pathip's "intensely passionate feelings" for Panippan and "the
fact that he expected to reconcile with her and marry her", Justice V K Rajah,
who delivered judgment on behalf of the court, said "it was more probable than
not" that Panippan's taunt "transported his passions to such an extent that he
entirely lost his self-control momentarily".
The court was thus satisfied that, "in the heat of the moment and in the
context of the unfortunate couple's overwhelming emotional turbulence", the
provocation towards Pathip was "grave".
The court, however, found that Pathip's partial defence of diminished
responsibility was "not substantiated", even though defence psychiatrist Tommy
Tan felt he had satisfied the criteria for hyperactive disorder and attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which impaired his mental
responsibility.
Pathip, who is represented by laywers Subhas Anandan and Sunil Sudheesan, will
be back in court next Wednesday for sentencing.
(source: Today)
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