2 commanding officers face less serious charges

Two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers who had claimed trial over a ragging incident in which a full-time national serviceman died two years ago are now facing less serious charges.

Yesterday, Kenneth Chong Chee Boon, 39, and Nazhan Mohamed Nazi, 42, were each charged with one count of performing a negligent act by failing to prevent their subordinates from carrying out the ragging activity on May 13, 2018.

Those convicted of this offence can be jailed for up to three months and fined up to $1,500.

The two men were originally charged with intentionally aiding a group of SCDF servicemen to cause grievous hurt to Corporal Kok Yuen Chin, 22, via a rash act endangering human life.

Those convicted of this offence can be jailed for up to four years and fined up to $10,000.

The pair are accused of failing to prevent the group from pressuring Corporal Kok to enter a 12m-deep pump well at Tuas View Fire Station - a banned activity known as "kolam" - to mark the impending completion of his national service.

Chong was commander and Nazhan, deputy commander, of the station at the time.

Three SCDF regulars had earlier been convicted and sentenced over their involvement in the tragedy. One of them - Muhammad Nur Fatwa Mahmood, 34 - was sentenced to a year and four weeks in jail, in October 2018, after he admitted to the fatal push.

In delivering his reasons for amending the charge that Chong and Nazhan were facing, Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun noted yesterday that it was Nur Fatwa who pushed Corporal Kok into the well that evening.

He said that Chong and Nazhan were not present at the well, adding that the pair did not have the opportunity to intervene or take preventive action at the time.

The judge, however, stressed that there had been a "dereliction of duty" on the part of both men, and said Chong and Nazhan were obliged to ensure Corporal Kok's life was not endangered while he was on duty.

Nazhan did not plead guilty to the amended charge yesterday. Chong, however, admitted to it.

In earlier submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutors Kumaresan Gohulabalan, Kelly Ho and Sheryl Yeo said that Chong and Nazhan had breached their legal obligation by omitting to interfere even as they knew that the group of SCDF servicemen were pressuring Corporal Kok to take part in the kolam ritual.

They said that Chong turned back to his duties in the station's watch room while Nazhan left the pump well area - where the rest of the servicemen and Corporal Kok were - to return to the station's office.

But defence lawyers for Chong and Nazhan argued in their respective submissions that the prosecution had not proven its case "beyond reasonable doubt".

Mr Wee Pan Lee and Ms Low Chang Yong - who are representing Chong - said their client had trusted the servicemen to protect one other.

Chong also believed Corporal Kok would have entered the pump well only voluntarily and on his own, which would have a "very low" risk of harm, they said.

Nazhan's defence lawyers, Mr Singa Retnam and Ms Josephine Lezu Costan, said their client had left the pump well area before Corporal Kok was pushed and could not have "intentionally aided the commission of the rash act".

Chong and Nazhan have been offered bail of $15,000 each and will be back in court on Aug 18.