SINGAPORE: A man who stabbed his flatmate in the heart to "teach him a lesson" over a rent dispute was found guilty of murder on Tuesday (Nov 9).
Mohammad Rosli Abdul Rahim was convicted of one charge of killing Mohammad Roslan Zaini on Aug 16, 2017 at about 4.30am in the Teck Whye Crescent flat that they had shared.
Rosli faces the death penalty or life imprisonment.
According to court documents, the prosecution said Rosli had taken a kitchen knife from the kitchen and stabbed Mr Roslan with the "intention to teach him a lesson".
Mr Roslan ran out of the unit and was later found lying on a grass patch near the block where their unit was located. He was pronounced dead by medics at 4.55am.
According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was a fatal stab wound on the upper part of his chest.
Mr Roslan also suffered two other stab wounds, one on his right mid-forearm and another on his right mid-thigh. There were also wounds on his right arm, right and left thumbs.
The prosecution argued that Rosli bore multiple grievances towards Mr Roslan, whom he felt was cheating him by demanding rent which he had already paid.
The court also heard that Rosli suspected Mr Roslan had intended to get him arrested in order to kick him out of the unit. Other grievances included how Mr Roslan did not treat his close friend, Rohazlin Jumar, who was also his ex-girlfriend, well.
The defence submitted that Rosli was not guilty of murder as the fatal stab wound was inflicted "inadvertently as a result of a missed aim".
The defence also submitted that Rosli was entitled to rely on the partial defence of grave and sudden provocation as the wound was inflicted while he was "deprived of self-control" after having taken two Nitrazepam pills, a sedative.
The prosecution argued that Rosli had stabbed Mr Roslan in the chest with the knife intentionally, pointing to the choice of weapon, admissions by Rosli that he had intentionally wounded Mr Roslan with the knife and the presence of a motive to cause fatal injury to Mr Roslan.
But the defence said Mr Roslan likely sustained the fatal stab wound when he inadvertently intercepted the trajectory of the knife, just as Rosli was trying to land a blow on his shoulder.
The defence also sought to raise doubt that the wound was intentionally inflicted.
Lawyers cited poor lighting in the unit, the "dynamic and chaotic melee" during the attack, Rosli's position that his intention was to teach Mr Roslan a lesson when he grabbed the knife, as well as psychiatric factors affecting Rosli at that time.
In his judgment, Justice Dedar Singh Gill rejected the argument that the fatal wound was inflicted accidentally. He said there was adequate lighting in the unit also pointed out that Rosli had chosen the most "lethal implement" in the kitchen tray, and that he had intentionally inflicted the fatal stab wound.
Shortly before the attack took place, Mr Roslan had behaved aggressively towards Rosli, asking him to pay the rental fee. The deceased had also uttered vulgarities, insults and threats towards Rosli.
According to Justice Gill, he did not think Mr Roslan's insults to Rosli's mother were "sufficiently 'grave'".
"The insults to the accused’s mother were far too common to cause a reasonable man to lose self-control, and the foregoing circumstances did not indicate that the deceased’s insults relating to the accused’s mother constituted the 'proverbial last straw for the accused', he said.
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Mohammad Rosli Abdul Rahim was convicted of one charge of killing Mohammad Roslan Zaini on Aug 16, 2017 at about 4.30am in the Teck Whye Crescent flat that they had shared.
Rosli faces the death penalty or life imprisonment.
According to court documents, the prosecution said Rosli had taken a kitchen knife from the kitchen and stabbed Mr Roslan with the "intention to teach him a lesson".
Mr Roslan ran out of the unit and was later found lying on a grass patch near the block where their unit was located. He was pronounced dead by medics at 4.55am.
According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was a fatal stab wound on the upper part of his chest.
Mr Roslan also suffered two other stab wounds, one on his right mid-forearm and another on his right mid-thigh. There were also wounds on his right arm, right and left thumbs.
The prosecution argued that Rosli bore multiple grievances towards Mr Roslan, whom he felt was cheating him by demanding rent which he had already paid.
The court also heard that Rosli suspected Mr Roslan had intended to get him arrested in order to kick him out of the unit. Other grievances included how Mr Roslan did not treat his close friend, Rohazlin Jumar, who was also his ex-girlfriend, well.
The defence submitted that Rosli was not guilty of murder as the fatal stab wound was inflicted "inadvertently as a result of a missed aim".
The defence also submitted that Rosli was entitled to rely on the partial defence of grave and sudden provocation as the wound was inflicted while he was "deprived of self-control" after having taken two Nitrazepam pills, a sedative.
The prosecution argued that Rosli had stabbed Mr Roslan in the chest with the knife intentionally, pointing to the choice of weapon, admissions by Rosli that he had intentionally wounded Mr Roslan with the knife and the presence of a motive to cause fatal injury to Mr Roslan.
But the defence said Mr Roslan likely sustained the fatal stab wound when he inadvertently intercepted the trajectory of the knife, just as Rosli was trying to land a blow on his shoulder.
The defence also sought to raise doubt that the wound was intentionally inflicted.
Lawyers cited poor lighting in the unit, the "dynamic and chaotic melee" during the attack, Rosli's position that his intention was to teach Mr Roslan a lesson when he grabbed the knife, as well as psychiatric factors affecting Rosli at that time.
ACCUSED CHOSE THE MOST "LETHAL IMPLEMENT": JUDGE
In his judgment, Justice Dedar Singh Gill rejected the argument that the fatal wound was inflicted accidentally. He said there was adequate lighting in the unit also pointed out that Rosli had chosen the most "lethal implement" in the kitchen tray, and that he had intentionally inflicted the fatal stab wound.
Shortly before the attack took place, Mr Roslan had behaved aggressively towards Rosli, asking him to pay the rental fee. The deceased had also uttered vulgarities, insults and threats towards Rosli.
According to Justice Gill, he did not think Mr Roslan's insults to Rosli's mother were "sufficiently 'grave'".
"The insults to the accused’s mother were far too common to cause a reasonable man to lose self-control, and the foregoing circumstances did not indicate that the deceased’s insults relating to the accused’s mother constituted the 'proverbial last straw for the accused', he said.
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