Yishun death: Jail for attacker and his stepfather
Judge says assault was sustained, prolonged, but notes victim had harassed the pair, causing distress
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Ryan Xavier Tay Seet Choong (left) was given four years' jail for the 2016 attack, while Lawrence Lim Peck Beng got eight months for abetting Tay in committing the offence.
The attacker in a 2016 fatal assault in Yishun was sentenced yesterday to four years' jail.
District Judge Tan Jen Tse had last month found Ryan Xavier Tay Seet Choong, now 24, guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Mr Shawn Ignatius Rodriguez, 26, who died after the attack on July 9, 2016.
Judge Tan had also found Tay's stepfather Lawrence Lim Peck Beng, now 59, guilty of abetting his stepson in committing the offence. Lim was sentenced to eight months' jail yesterday.
Before handing down the sentences, Judge Tan said the attack on Mr Rodriguez was "sustained and prolonged". But he noted that Mr Rodriguez had "incessantly harassed" the pair and their family, causing distress.
Tay and Lim had taken matters into their own hands in 2016 after Mr Rodriguez persisted in visiting their flat even after the family lodged more than 50 police reports against him.
Things took a tragic turn on July 9 that year when Tay assaulted Mr Rodriguez, who later died of traumatic asphyxia with a head injury. Mr Rodriguez was doing his national service with the Republic of Singapore Air Force at the time.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Wong Kok Weng, Jason Chua and Chong Kee En had stated in their submissions that Mr Rodriguez and Tay knew each other in 2006 when they were altar boys at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Yishun.
But Tay left eight years later as he felt that Mr Rodriguez was "fixated" with him.
Mr Rodriguez then tried to contact Tay by making frequent phone calls, and started loitering around the void deck of Tay's home in Block 279 Yishun Street 22.
Mr Rodriguez went to the block on July 9, 2016.
The prosecutors had earlier said: "At about 7.40pm, (Mr Rodriguez) returned. Lawrence opened the door and shouted at (him) for about five minutes and opened the gate intending to physically engage him.
"At this juncture, Ryan came out of the unit and (Mr Rodriguez) started to run away. Ryan chased (him) down the corridor and up the staircase at lift landing B."
A scuffle broke out and Mr Rodriguez was restrained. The police later arrived at the scene and a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic pronounced him dead at around 8.30pm.
Tay and Lim were each offered bail of $15,000 yesterday.
They will have to surrender themselves at the State Courts on Oct 20 to begin serving their sentences.
