SINGAPORE: Two men in the Orchard Towers case had their murder charges downgraded to voluntarily causing hurt with common intention on Friday (Feb 21), leaving one person facing the capital charge.

Joel Tan Yun Sheng and Ang Da Yuan, both 26, are now accused of voluntarily causing hurt to Satheesh Noel Gobidass by kicking and punching him at the ground floor of Orchard Towers on Jul 2, 2019.



Tan, who is defended by Invictus Law counsels Josephus Tan and Cory Wong, intends to plead guilty, the court heard. A date was set for Mar 4.

Ang's case was adjourned for a pre-trial conference next month, and the prosecution said they would be tendering further charges against him. He is represented by Mr Kertar Singh from Kertar & Sandhu.

If found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt with common intention, Tan and Ang face jail terms of up to two years, maximum fines of S$5,000, or both.





Mr Satheesh, 31, died in hospital after being captured on closed-circuit television footage walking slowly in front of an escalator before collapsing.

Seven people were initially charged with murder with common intention in relation to the case.

With Friday's hearing, six of them now face downgraded charges. Only Tan Sen Yang, 28, still faces a murder charge.

He allegedly had with him a foldable Karambit knife, a small curved knife resembling a claw, at Naughty Girl Club on the morning of the incident.

The other four co-accused in the case are set to return to court next month for pre-trial conferences.

Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 23, faces charges of voluntarily causing hurt to Mr Satheesh, consorting with Tan Sen Yang when he had an offensive weapon and behaving in a disorderly manner outside the club that morning.

Another accused person, 22-year-old Tan Hong Sheng, failed to show up in court for a hearing last year and was later arrested and given a new charge of rioting while out on bail.

The other two, Loo Boon Chong and Chan Jia Xing, both 26, face charges of consorting with Tan Sen Yang.

