Man on trial for murder punched victim while holding knife

Accused inflicted fatal stab wound to the neck, says DPP in opening address

- Selina Lum

Tan Sen Yang, the only one in a group of seven who still faces a murder charge over a brawl in Orchard Towers in 2019, was holding a karambit knife when he punched the victim three times in the face.

The short knife with a curved blade and a finger ring at the end of the handle was never recovered as Tan, 32, threw it away before he gave himself up to the police.

This emerged in the High Court on Tuesday on the first day of his trial for murdering Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31, at about 6.25am on July 2, 2019. If convicted, he faces the death penalty or life imprisonment and caning.

Prosecutors played surveillance footage that largely captured the altercation on the ground floor of Orchard Towers, as well as a scuffle that took place moments earlier at the Naughty Girl Club on the second floor.

After he was attacked by Tan and his friends, Mr Satheesh was seen taking a few steps before he collapsed.

He was pronounced dead about one hour later at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and an autopsy found that he died from a stab wound to the neck.