PP v Iskandar bin Rahmat: Murder Conviction for Double Homicide at Hillside Drive
In Public Prosecutor v Iskandar bin Rahmat, the High Court of Singapore found Iskandar bin Rahmat guilty of two counts of murder under Section 300(a) of the Penal Code for the deaths of Tan Boon Sin and Tan Chee Heong at Hillside Drive on 10 July 2013. The prosecution argued that Iskandar intended to rob and kill the victims, while the defense claimed self-defense and sudden fight. Tay Yong Kwang J rejected the defense's arguments, finding that Iskandar acted with the intention to cause death. The court imposed the mandatory death sentence.
1. Case Overview
1.1 Court
High Court1.2 Outcome
Guilty of murder under section 300(a) of the Penal Code; mandatory death sentence imposed.
1.3 Case Type
Criminal
1.4 Judgment Type
Grounds of Decision
1.5 Jurisdiction
Singapore
1.6 Description
Iskandar bin Rahmat was convicted of murdering Tan Boon Sin and Tan Chee Heong at Hillside Drive, Singapore. The High Court sentenced him to death.
1.7 Decision Date
2. Parties and Outcomes
| Party Name | Role | Type | Outcome | Outcome Type | Counsels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Prosecutor | Prosecution | Government Agency | Guilty verdict on both charges | Won | Lau Wing Yum of Attorney-General’s Chambers Sia Jiazheng of Attorney-General’s Chambers Mansoor Amir of Attorney-General’s Chambers Prem Raj s/o Prabakaran of Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat | Defendant | Individual | Convicted of murder; death sentence imposed | Lost |
3. Judges
| Judge Name | Title | Delivered Judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Tay Yong Kwang | Judge | Yes |
4. Counsels
| Counsel Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Lau Wing Yum | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Sia Jiazheng | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Mansoor Amir | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Prem Raj s/o Prabakaran | Attorney-General’s Chambers |
| Shashi Nathan | KhattarWong LLP |
| Jeremy Pereira | KhattarWong LLP |
| Rajan Supramaniam | Hilborne & Co |
| Tania Chin | KhattarWong LLP |
| Ferlin Jayatissa | Lexcompass LLC |
| Sudha Nair | Lexcompass LLC |
4. Facts
- The accused, Iskandar bin Rahmat, was a senior staff sergeant in the Singapore Police Force facing financial difficulties and disciplinary action.
- Iskandar was in debt and facing bankruptcy.
- Tan Boon Sin reported missing cash and gold coins from his safe deposit box, with Iskandar as the initial investigation officer.
- Iskandar devised a plan to rob Tan Boon Sin by posing as a Police Intelligence Department officer.
- Iskandar met Tan Boon Sin, claiming his safe deposit box would be targeted and instructed him to place a dummy CCTV camera inside.
- Iskandar escorted Tan Boon Sin to his house, where the murders occurred.
- Tan Boon Sin and Tan Chee Heong died from multiple stab wounds inflicted by Iskandar.
5. Formal Citations
- Public Prosecutor v Iskandar bin Rahmat, Criminal Case No 50 of 2015, [2015] SGHC 310
6. Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Iskandar bin Rahmat was born. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat joined the Singapore Police Force. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat divorced. | |
| Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation claimed that Iskandar bin Rahmat owed the bank $61,599.66. | |
| Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation filed a bankruptcy application against Iskandar bin Rahmat. | |
| Bankruptcy application was served on Iskandar bin Rahmat at his workplace. | |
| Tan Boon Sin lodged a police report stating that cash amounting to $45,000 and gold coins were missing from his safe deposit box. | |
| Tan Boon Sin lodged another police report stating that cash amounting to $45,000 and gold coins were missing from his safe deposit box. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat was transferred from the investigation branch to the divisional operations room. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat offered an out-of-court settlement with a full payment of $50,000 to the bank’s lawyer. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat was charged with financial embarrassment by the Police Disciplinary Board. | |
| Disciplinary hearing was held, and the matter was adjourned to 30 July 2013. | |
| Tan Boon Sin consulted Dr. Kevin Lee. | |
| Bankruptcy hearing was adjourned until 11 July 2013. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat devised the plan to rob Tan Boon Sin. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat murdered Tan Boon Sin and Tan Chee Heong. | |
| A bankruptcy order against Iskandar bin Rahmat was made. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat sought treatment for his injured right hand at a clinic in Johor Baru. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat was arrested by the Malaysian police. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat was brought back to Singapore. | |
| Iskandar bin Rahmat's injuries were medically examined. | |
| The police found the orange bag which Tan Boon Sin had used to keep the contents from the safe deposit box. | |
| Tan Boon Sin was scheduled to undergo knee replacement surgery. | |
| The High Court delivered its decision, finding Iskandar bin Rahmat guilty of murder. | |
| The appeal to this decision in Criminal Appeal No 39 of 2015 and the application in Criminal Motion No 14 of 2016 were dismissed, while the application in Criminal Motion No 17 of 2016 was allowed, by the Court of Appeal. |
7. Legal Issues
- Intention to cause death
- Outcome: The court found that the accused had the intention to cause death.
- Category: Substantive
- Right of private defence
- Outcome: The court found that the accused was not exercising his right to private defence.
- Category: Substantive
- Sudden fight
- Outcome: The court found that there was no sudden fight.
- Category: Substantive
8. Remedies Sought
- Conviction
- Death Penalty
9. Cause of Actions
- Murder
10. Practice Areas
- Criminal Litigation
11. Industries
- Law Enforcement
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 (Cap 224, 2008 Rev Ed) | Singapore |
| s 300 of the Penal Code | Singapore |
| s 302 of the Penal Code | Singapore |
| s 302(1) of the Penal Code | Singapore |
15. Key Terms and Keywords
15.1 Key Terms
- Murder
- Intention
- Private Defence
- Financial Embarrassment
- Safe Deposit Box
- Police Intelligence Department
- CCTV Camera
- Bankruptcy
- Disciplinary Action
15.2 Keywords
- Murder
- Singapore
- High Court
- Penal Code
- Iskandar bin Rahmat
- Tan Boon Sin
- Tan Chee Heong
- Hillside Drive
- Death Penalty
17. Areas of Law
| Area Name | Relevance Score |
|---|---|
| Murder | 99 |
| Criminal Law | 95 |
| Penal Code | 95 |
| Criminal Procedure | 90 |
| Offences | 85 |
| Evidence | 70 |
16. Subjects
- Criminal Law
- Murder
- Homicide