Man accused of Orchard Towers murder to be tried in High Court

In a photo from July 2, 2019, police officers are seen investigating the crime scene at Orchard Towers.

SINGAPORE – A 28-year-old man who was allegedly involved in the Orchard Towers fatal brawl in July last year will be tried in the High Court, said the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 20).

Tan Sen Yang, who faces a murder charge, is accused of causing the death of Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31.

His case was moved to the High Court on Tuesday, said the AGC.

Mr Satheesh died after a brawl in Orchard Towers on July 2 last year.

Seven people, including Tan, were involved in the incident and initially charged with murder.

After thorough investigations, the AGC found that the other six individuals were not involved in causing Mr Satheesh’s death. The charges against them were then reduced.

On Oct 15, Mr Chan Jia Xing, 27, was given a 12-month conditional warning after his charge was reduced to consorting with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place.

A conditional warning does not amount to a conviction or a finding of guilt, and does not leave a criminal record, meaning he will face no further action if he does not commit any crimes for a year.

Joel Tan Yun Sheng and Ang Da Yuan, both 26, and Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 24, had earlier this year pleaded guilty to assault charges, among other things.


Orchard Towers’ main entrance was cordoned off for police investigations on July 2, 2019. PHOTO: ST FILE

Tan was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment, while Ang was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment and six strokes of the cane.

Siow was given five months’ jail last Friday in addition to the 3½ months she had earlier spent in remand.

The remaining two members of the group – Tan Hong Sheng, 23, and Loo Boon Chong, 26 – have not been sentenced yet.

The group of seven were leaving Naughty Girl Club on the second floor of Orchard Towers at around 6.20am when they got into a dispute with another group.

Mr Satheesh was killed after he confronted one of the men who, along with the man’s friends, attacked him.

The brawl was captured by cameras outside a shop on the first floor of Orchard Towers. Closed-circuit television footage showed Mr Satheesh exchanging blows with some people before stumbling to the ground.

Bystanders later tried to help him as he lay bleeding from the neck.

Mr Satheesh was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and died at 7.25am.