Public Prosecutor v Steven John: Trafficking of Diamorphine under the Misuse of Drugs Act

In Public Prosecutor v Steven John, the High Court of Singapore convicted Steven John a/l Gobalkrishnan for possessing not less than 14.99g of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking, an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The court, presided over by Justice Chua Lee Ming, sentenced John to 27 years’ imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane, backdated to his date of remand on August 8, 2019. The decision was based on John's guilty plea and admission to delivering drugs to a co-accused, Kajirajan s/o Supan, as part of a drug trafficking operation.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

General Division of the High Court

1.2 Outcome

Accused sentenced to 27 years’ imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane.

1.3 Case Type

Criminal

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Steven John was convicted for possessing diamorphine for trafficking under the Misuse of Drugs Act and sentenced to 27 years' imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Public ProsecutorProsecutionGovernment AgencyJudgment for ProsecutionWon
Chng Luey Chi of Prosecution
Dwayne Lum of Prosecution
Steven John a/l GobalkrishnanDefendantIndividualConvicted and SentencedLost

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Chua Lee MingJudgeYes

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Chng Luey ChiProsecution
Dwayne LumProsecution
Christopher Anand DanielAdvocatus Law LLP
Jacintha GopalAdvocatus Law LLP

4. Facts

  1. Accused was found in possession of not less than 14.99g of diamorphine.
  2. Accused handed a white plastic bag containing drugs to the co-accused.
  3. Co-accused paid the accused $1,200 in cash.
  4. Accused admitted to delivering drugs to the co-accused on at least ten occasions.
  5. Accused received a commission of $500 for every 60 packets of diamorphine delivered.
  6. Accused sourced for customers who wanted to purchase diamorphine.

5. Formal Citations

  1. Public Prosecutor v Steven John a/l Gobalkrishnan, Criminal Case No 25 of 2021, [2021] SGHC 111

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Accused delivered drugs to co-accused
Co-accused arrested
Accused arrested
Accused remanded
Accused pleaded guilty
Judgment issued

7. Legal Issues

  1. Drug Trafficking
    • Outcome: The court found the accused guilty of drug trafficking.
    • Category: Substantive
    • Related Cases:
      • [2017] 5 SLR 564
      • [2015] 5 SLR 122
      • [2017] 2 SLR 115
      • [2020] 5 SLR 734

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Imprisonment
  2. Caning

9. Cause of Actions

  • Drug Trafficking

10. Practice Areas

  • Criminal Law
  • Drug Trafficking

11. Industries

  • No industries specified

12. Cited Cases

Case NameCourtAffirmedCitationJurisdictionSignificance
Public Prosecutor v Tan Lye HengHigh CourtYes[2017] 5 SLR 564SingaporeCited for the indicative starting sentence for unauthorised trafficking of 13.01g to 15g of diamorphine.
Vasentha d/o Joseph v Public ProsecutorHigh CourtYes[2015] 5 SLR 122SingaporeCited for the principle that the court may make necessary upward or downward adjustments to the indicative starting sentence to take into account the culpability of the offender, as well as any relevant aggravating or mitigating factors.
Suventher Shanmugam v Public ProsecutorCourt of AppealYes[2017] 2 SLR 115SingaporeCited for the principle that for drug trafficking offences, the sentence imposed should be proportional to the weight of the drugs in order to reflect the gravity of the offence.
Public Prosecutor v Poopathi Chinaiyah s/o PaliandiHigh CourtYes[2020] 5 SLR 734SingaporeCited for the principle that for drug trafficking offences, the sentence imposed should be proportional to the weight of the drugs in order to reflect the gravity of the offence.

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute NameJurisdiction
Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap 185, 2008 Rev Ed)Singapore

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

  • Diamorphine
  • Drug Trafficking
  • Misuse of Drugs Act
  • Controlled Drug
  • CNB
  • Central Narcotics Bureau

15.2 Keywords

  • Drug Trafficking
  • Diamorphine
  • Misuse of Drugs Act
  • Singapore
  • Criminal Law

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Misuse of Drugs Act95
Criminal Law90
Drug Crimes85
Sentencing70
Offences60
Theft10
Criminal Revision5

16. Subjects

  • Criminal Law
  • Drug Offences