Man faces more assault charges

A 22-year-old man, who faces a culpable homicide charge for allegedly beating a retiree to death at an Ang Mo Kio park in 2011, has also been accused of attacking four other men in the neighbourhood.

Sumanthiran Selvarajoo was scheduled to plead guilty to four charges yesterday in the High Court, but the case was adjourned for psychiatrists on both sides to submit updated reports. He first made the news for allegedly killing Mr Loo Nam Seng at the Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West park on June 4, 2011 by repeatedly punching and kicking the retiree.

Yesterday, it emerged that he faces six other charges, four of which were for attacks on other men in various parts of Ang Mo Kio between June and November 2010.

Probe into bacteria outbreak claim

The authorities here are investigating a claim that went viral yesterday about a bacteria outbreak from eating contaminated raw fish.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a Facebook post yesterday that it is jointly investigating the claim about the outbreak of Group B streptococcus (GBS) with the National Environment Agency and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore. The strain is a "common bacterium that colonises the human gut and urinary tract" and does not usually cause disease in healthy individuals, MOH said.

"There has not previously been any proven link between eating fish, raw or otherwise, and GBS disease. However, in adults, GBS may occasionally cause infections of the skin, joints, heart and brain. The risk factors for GBS infection include underlying chronic or co-morbid conditions."