PP v Loganatha Venkatesan: Murder Conspiracy & Abetment Case
In Public Prosecutor v Loganatha Venkatesan, Chandran s/o Rajagopal, and Julaiha Begum, the High Court of Singapore heard the case concerning the murder of T Maniam. Loganatha Venkatesan and Chandran s/o Rajagopal were charged with murder, while Julaiha Begum, Maniam's widow, was charged with abetting the murder. The prosecution argued that Julaiha conspired with Venkatesan and Chandran to kill Maniam. The court found all three accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced them to death.
1. Case Overview
1.1 Court
High Court1.2 Outcome
All three accused found guilty as charged, and sentenced to suffer death.
1.3 Case Type
Criminal
1.4 Judgment Type
Grounds of Decision
1.5 Jurisdiction
Singapore
1.6 Description
Loganatha Venkatesan, Chandran, and Julaiha Begum were charged in the murder of T Maniam. The court found all three guilty and sentenced them to death.
1.7 Decision Date
2. Parties and Outcomes
| Party Name | Role | Type | Outcome | Outcome Type | Counsels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Prosecutor | Prosecution | Government Agency | Judgment for Prosecution | Won | Peter Koy Su Hua of Attorney-General’s Chambers Anandan s/o Bala of Attorney-General’s Chambers Christina Koh Sok Kheng of Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Loganatha Venkatesan | Defendant | Individual | Accused found guilty | Lost | |
| Chandran s/o Rajagopal | Defendant | Individual | Accused found guilty | Lost | |
| Julaiha Begum | Defendant | Individual | Accused found guilty | Lost |
3. Judges
| Judge Name | Title | Delivered Judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Choo Han Teck | Judicial Commissioner | Yes |
4. Counsels
| Counsel Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Peter Koy Su Hua | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Anandan s/o Bala | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Christina Koh Sok Kheng | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Luke Lee Yoon Tet | Luke Lee & Co |
| Nadarajan Kanagavijayan | K Krishan & Partners |
| N K Rajarh | Rajah Velu & Co |
| Nicholas Cheong Fook Hing | Lim Soo Peng & Co |
| Thrumurgan s/o Ramapiram | Palakrishanan & Partners |
| Selva Kumara Naidu | Naidu Mohan & Theseira |
4. Facts
- T Maniam, a retired police inspector, was murdered outside his home.
- Loganatha Venkatesan and Chandran s/o Rajagopal were accused of attacking Maniam.
- Julaiha Begum, Maniam's widow, was accused of abetting the murder.
- The prosecution's case was based on the testimony of Govindasamy Ravichandran, who claimed Julaiha hired him to kill Maniam.
- Julaiha allegedly wanted to inherit Maniam's house.
- Venkatesan and Julaiha had a close relationship.
- Venkatesan, Chandran, and Mani went to Phoenix Garden to persuade Maniam to pay compensation to Venkatesan.
5. Formal Citations
- Public Prosecutor v Loganatha Venkatesan and Others, CC 59/1999, [2000] SGHC 38
6. Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Julaiha divorced Abdul Kareem and took custody of some of their children. | |
| Maniam and Julaiha married. | |
| Maniam sold the house at Jurong Kechil and bought 86 Phoenix Garden with Julaiha as a joint owner. | |
| Maniam, Julaiha, and their daughters took a holiday in India. | |
| Julaiha left the matrimonial home. | |
| Maniam assaulted Venkatesan at Teck Whye. | |
| Maniam obtained a protection order against Julaiha. | |
| Peer Mohamed introduced Venkatesan to his relative. | |
| Julaiha borrowed $2,500 from Peer Mohamed. | |
| Court ordered the sale of 86 Phoenix Garden by June 1999. | |
| Julaiha asked Peer Mohamed for a loan of $8,000 to $9,000. | |
| John Tan handed two cash cheques to Julaiha, one for $5,000 and the other for $2,500. | |
| Venkatesan and Chandran approached Ravichandran to 'finish off' Maniam. | |
| Venkatesan, Chandran and Ravichandran met Julaiha at her flat. | |
| First attempt to attack Maniam was aborted. | |
| Ravichandran, Rajesh, Venkatesan and Chandran met at Julaiha’s flat. | |
| Second attempt to attack Maniam was aborted. | |
| Ravichandran stole $3,000 from Chandran. | |
| Maniam was murdered outside his home. | |
| Venkatesan told Chandran, "Well, the problem was over". | |
| Julaiha asked Juliyah to lie to the CID. | |
| Muhamad Rafi and Loganathan Pavadaisamy visited Venkatesan and Julaiha at the flat. | |
| Venkatesan and Julaiha were arrested. | |
| Chandran was arrested. | |
| Decision Date |
7. Legal Issues
- Murder
- Outcome: The court found Venkatesan and Chandran guilty of murder.
- Category: Substantive
- Abetment of Murder
- Outcome: The court found Julaiha Begum guilty of abetting the murder.
- Category: Substantive
- Conspiracy to Commit Murder
- Outcome: The court found that Julaiha, Venkatesan, and Chandran conspired to kill Maniam.
- Category: Substantive
8. Remedies Sought
- Conviction of the accused
- Capital punishment
9. Cause of Actions
- Murder
- Abetment of Murder
- Conspiracy to Commit Murder
10. Practice Areas
- Criminal Litigation
11. Industries
- No industries specified
12. Cited Cases
| Case Name | Court | Affirmed | Citation | Jurisdiction | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No cited cases | |||||
13. Applicable Rules
| Rule Name |
|---|
| No applicable rules |
14. Applicable Statutes
| Statute Name | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| Penal Code section 302 | Singapore |
| Penal Code section 109 | Singapore |
| Criminal Procedure Code section 122(6) | Singapore |
| Criminal Procedure Code section 121 | Singapore |
15. Key Terms and Keywords
15.1 Key Terms
- Murder
- Abetment
- Conspiracy
- Common intention
- Motive
- Accomplice
- Voir dire
15.2 Keywords
- Murder
- Conspiracy
- Abetment
- Singapore
- Criminal Law
17. Areas of Law
| Area Name | Relevance Score |
|---|---|
| Murder | 99 |
| Criminal Law | 95 |
| Penal Code | 90 |
| Criminal conspiracy | 80 |
| Criminal Procedure | 70 |
| Public Prosecutor | 60 |
| Consent of Public Prosecutor | 60 |
| Private Prosecution | 40 |
| Matrimonial Law | 30 |
16. Subjects
- Criminal Law
- Murder
- Conspiracy
- Abetment