SINGAPORE: A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officer will be charged in criminal court over the death of full-time national serviceman (NSF) Dave Lee, the police said.
Captain Tan Baoshu, 30, will be charged on Wednesday (Oct 31)with causing death by a rash act, an offence punishable with up to five years’ jail and a fine.
AdvertisementThe police said they have also referred six other SAF servicemen who were involved in the incident to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) for investigations.
Corporal First Class (CFC) Lee died on Apr 30, nearly two weeks after "displaying signs of heat injury" at Bedok Camp after completing an 8km fast march, MINDEF said at the time.
In August, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told Parliament that the Committee of Inquiry investigating CFC Lee’s death found inadequate on-site casualty management and delayed evacuation as "likely reasons" for him succumbing to heat stroke.
Dr Ng also said that MINDEF would prosecute those responsible for lapses in military court if no criminal charges were filed.
AdvertisementAdvertisement[h=3]READ: SAF to enhance prevention, management of heat injuries following death of NSF[/h][h=3]READ: Room for improvement in heat injury prevention and response, external panel finds[/h]There have been recent cases involving SAF servicemen who were charged either in criminal or military court in relation to NSF training deaths.
In 2015, former Master Sergeant Lee Kong Kean was jailed for six months for a rash act endangering human life and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Lee, who was conducting an exercise in 2012, appointed a serviceman to drive a military jeep even though he knew that the serviceman did not have a driving licence. The serviceman lost control of the jeep on a downhill slope, causing it to overturn. One passenger died.
[h=3]READ: Family, friends bid final farewell to national serviceman Dave Lee[/h]In 2013, two SAF officers were fined and had their promotions delayed under military law for breaching safety regulations in connection to the case of Private Dominique Lee, who died in 2012 due to an allergic reaction to smoke grenades.
In this case, no servicemen were charged in criminal court based on findings from a Coroner’s Inquiry, Dr Ng told Parliament in 2016.
“Because of these findings and conclusions, the Attorney-General’s Chambers decided not to prosecute anyone as the cause of death was an unforeseen allergic reaction that was unlikely to have been predicted,” he said.
Dr Ng had also stressed that when training incidents occur, MINDEF and the SAF must “rely on our judicial system to determine the facts and mete out the appropriate punishment where required”.
“It would be wrong and unfair to punish SAF servicemen beyond the level of offence committed which has been determined by independent and impartial judicial processes,” he stated.
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