SINGAPORE - The main attacker in a fatal 2016 Yishun assault case was sentenced on Monday (Oct 5) to four years' jail.

District Judge Tan Jen Tse had earlier 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.

On Aug 24, Judge Tan 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 on Monday.

Before handing down the sentences, Judge Tan said that the attack on Mr Rodriguez was "sustained and prolonged".

The judge, however, 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 repeatedly visited their flat.

He continued doing so 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 was then doing his national service with the Republic of Singapore Air Force, and Mr Rodriguez later died of traumatic asphyxia with a head injury.

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.

Tay, however, 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 the latter's home at Block 279 Yishun Street 22.

The prosecutors had said that in January 2016, Tay's mother, Madam Irene Ng, filed a magistrate's complaint against Mr Rodriguez that led to mediation proceedings in the State Courts.

A mediation judge then told him to stop visiting Tay. Despite this, Mr Rodriguez continued visiting the Yishun flat and went to the block on July 9 that year.

The prosecutors had earlier said: "At about 7.40pm, the deceased returned. Lawrence opened the door and shouted at the deceased for about five minutes and opened the gate intending to physically engage him.

"At this juncture, Ryan came out of the unit and the deceased started to run away. Ryan chased the deceased down the corridor and up the staircase at lift landing B."

A scuffle broke out between the two men and Tay later used his right knee to press against Mr Rodriguez's back even though the latter did not struggle.

Lim then sat on Mr Rodriguez's buttocks and performed a leg lock by crossing the latter's lower legs.

The court heard that a few neighbours later brought items including a rope and raffia string.

One of them, Mr Lim Hock Piou, tied Mr Rodriguez's ankles while Lim held on to Mr Rodriguez's legs. Tay, meanwhile, continued to press his knee against his back.

The police arrived at the scene before Mr Lim Hock Piou could complete tying Mr Rodriguez's legs. A Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic pronounced him dead at around 8.30pm.

Before the sentencing on Monday, DPP Chua had urged the court to sentence Tay to five years' jail and eight strokes of the cane.

He added that Tay had decided to take the law into his own hands and the offence led to Mr Rodriguez's death.

The DPP said that the case involved vigilante justice and Mr Rodriguez was later found with more than 30 external injuries on his body.

DPP Chua asked for a year's jail for Lim and said that as Tay's stepfather, he should have known better than to abet the assault.

Tay's lawyer, Mr Peter Low, however, urged the court to call for a report to assess his client's suitability for a probation, adding that Tay was a young offender.

Mr Low also said that Tay had been "frustrated", as his family made more than 50 police reports against Mr Rodriguez before the tragedy but "nothing happened".

Lim is represented by lawyer Ang Sin Teck, who also pleaded for a lighter sentence for his client.

Mr Ang told Judge Tan that Mr Rodriguez, who visited his client's home multiple times before his death, had made "life a living hell" for Lim, Tay and their family.

The pair were each offered bail of $15,000 on Monday. They were ordered to surrender themselves at the State Courts on Oct 20 to begin serving their sentences.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined or caned. Lim cannot be caned as he is over 50 years old.