Overview of the Case
A Vietnamese woman, Nguyen Ngoc Giau, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her boyfriend in a public housing corridor in Ang Mo Kio four years ago. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Dedar Singh Gill, who found the elements of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt and rejected the possible defenses raised by the defense team.
What Happened in Ang Mo Kio
On July 15, 2021, Nguyen, 43, stabbed her boyfriend, Mr Cho Wang Keung, 51, along the common corridor on the fifth floor of Block 562, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3. Mr Cho was a jewellery assembler and landlord who owned a three-room flat at the block. Nguyen had moved to Singapore in 2010 and had become involved with Mr Cho, eventually sharing his bedroom after they began a romantic relationship.
The couple’s relationship deteriorated when Mr Cho expressed a desire to break up and evict Nguyen. After an evening of drinking beer and attempting to call Mr Cho without answer, Nguyen sharpened a knife and confronted him outside the flat around 12:50 a.m. The confrontation turned violent, and a male tenant who happened to be taking photos of the assault became a witness as Nguyen attacked again, prompting him to flee down the stairs. Police arrived within minutes and found the couple in a pool of blood. Mr Cho succumbed to stab wounds to the neck, chest, and back the same morning.
Legal Findings and Sentencing
In delivering the verdict, Justice Gill stated that the prosecution had established the elements of murder beyond a reasonable doubt. He also noted that Nguyen failed to prove, on a balance of probabilities, either intoxication or sudden fight as a defense.
Nguyen reportedly had an alcohol-use disorder and was assessed to be in a state of acute alcohol intoxication at the time of the incident, according to a report from the Institute of Mental Health. Despite this, the court did not accept these defenses as justifications or exculpating factors for the alleged murder.
Defence and Prosecution Interplay
The defense argued that the incident occurred within the context of an unhealthy and violently quarrelsome relationship exacerbated by alcohol. They urged the court to consider culpable homicide not amounting to murder as a lesser charge, arguing that Nguyen’s intoxication and the alleged sudden fight prevented her from forming the intent to kill. They contended that the death could have resulted from a violent struggle rather than premeditated action.
The prosecution, for its part, contended that the evidence supported murder and that the law could not justify a lesser charge given the circumstances of the stabbing in a public corridor and the fatal injuries sustained by Mr Cho.
Move Forward and Reflections
Nguyen’s legal representation included a team of three counsel under Singapore’s Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences, reflecting the seriousness of the case. While Nguyen has stated an intention to appeal the verdict, the court’s decision to impose life imprisonment indicates the severity with which this case was treated by the judiciary.
Context in Singapore’s Legal Landscape
Singapore’s murder laws carry serious penalties, although the death penalty is not applied in cases involving women, and caning is not available to female offenders. This case underscores how a court weighs intoxication and the dynamics of a turbulent relationship against the imperative of intent in murder cases.
Nguyen engaged in a tumultuous past, including earlier visits to her family and relationships, but the court found that those factors did not diminish responsibility for the fatal act. The sentencing, while severe, reflects Singapore’s emphasis on examining the specifics of the act, the intent behind it, and the surrounding circumstances.
Nguyen stated she intends to appeal the decision, signaling that the legal process for this high-profile case may continue to unfold in the months ahead.
