Murder convict may escape death penalty despite dismissed appeal
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The appeal of an Indian national against his conviction for murdering a Filipina was dismissed on Thursday - but Bijukumar Remadevi Nair Gopinathan still has a chance of escaping the hangman's noose.
The Court of Appeal upheld only his conviction under Section 300(c) of the Penal Code, for homicide that is carried out with the intention of causing bodily injury which would ordinarily be sufficient to cause death.
If proposed changes to give judges discretion in murder sentencing are passed in Parliament, the 36-year-old may escape the death sentence.
In April, Bijukumar, a shipyard worker, was convicted of murdering Ms Roselyn Reyes Pascua, 30, in March 2010. Her body was found in her rented room at Peony Mansion in Bencoolen Street with multiple stab wounds.
