A 22-year-old Indian student was on Wednesday sentenced to 35 months in prison for causing the death of a Punjab-origin man by pushing him into the river while intoxicated.
Legha Pawan pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Jasbir Singh, a 33-year-old construction worker, on the night of June 30 last year.
The original charge of causing death by a rash act was reduced and another charge was taken into consideration, according to a Channel News Asia report.
Singh, who was married with two young children in India, had been the sole breadwinner for his family.
The court heard that both Legha and Singh were intoxicated on June 30 night when the incident happened. After Singh was pushed into the river at Clarke Quay, a popular riverside tourism-leisure point, a nearby couple raised alarm.
Rescue divers located his body a few hours later.
Legha fled the scene and attempted to avoid arrest, however, he was arrested the next morning, the report added.
Deputy public prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin said Legha knew that the victim was intoxicated and it was “reasonably foreseeable” that the push would cause grievous hurt.
She also pointed out that he fled the scene without helping the victim. The defence lawyer highlighted that no weapon was used, and the push was “a generic push” not intended to target vulnerable points, the Channel report said.
{{/usCountry}}She also pointed out that he fled the scene without helping the victim. The defence lawyer highlighted that no weapon was used, and the push was “a generic push” not intended to target vulnerable points, the Channel report said.
{{/usCountry}}For voluntarily causing hurt that resulted in grievous hurt, Legha could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to SGD 10,000, or both, it added.