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Murder of D. Munusamy

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D. Munusamy
D. Munusamy, the 24-year-old police detective who was stabbed to death
Born
Munusamy Naidu s/o Doresamy

1944
Singapore
Died5 February 1968 (aged 23)
Bukit Timah, Singapore
Cause of deathMurdered
NationalitySingapore Singaporean
Other namesD. Munisamy
Monisamy s/o Doresamy[1]
OccupationPolice officer
EmployerSingapore Police Force (1963 – 1968)
Known forMurder victim
TitleDetective
ChildrenNone

On 5 February 1968, a 24-year-old police detective named D. Munusamy was stabbed by a group of men nearby a telephone booth at Bukit Timah Road, after he tried to arrest one of the men on suspicion of being a gang member, which led to the man's friends attacking the policeman, who managed to fire three rounds, injuring one of them. Detective Munusamy sustained seven stab wounds and collapsed on the road, while the gang members escaped with his revolver.

Detective Munusamy died in the hospital, and subsequently, the police managed to arrest the suspects behind the murder, although in the end, only two of the suspects, Lim Heng Soon (林兴顺 Lín Xīngshùn) and Low Ngah Ngah (刘雅雅 Líu Yǎyă), were formally charged and found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death. A third member, Quek Hock Bee (郭福美 Guō Fúměi), was initially charged with murder before he received a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

Murder

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On the night of 5 February 1968, 24-year-old police detective D. Munusamy, who first joined the Singapore Police Force as a constable five years before in 1963, arrested a suspected secret society gang member outside an open-air cinema along Anamalai Avenue, after he responded to the report of the presence of a gang clash around the area. Detective Munusamy brought the man to a telephone booth along Bukit Timah Road, where he intended to call for reinforcements.

Unknown to Detective Munusamy however, he was stalked by the gang member's four friends. Just as Detective Munusamy was about to make the phone call, he was ambushed by the four men, who attacked him. In a bid to defend himself, Detective Munusamy brandished his service revolver, a .38 Webley revolver, and fired three rounds at his attackers, with two shots hitting one of the assailants in the chest. Nonetheless, Detective Munusamy was overpowered by the men, who stabbed him seven times, resulting in Detective Munusamy collapsing in a pool of blood, before the attackers and the friend fled the scene on motorcycles.[2]

Detective Munusamy was later rushed to Thomson Road Hospital for treatment, but he died twenty minutes after reaching the hospital. Coincidentally, the injured gang member was also hospitalized at the same hospital and was in critical condition by the time the police discovered him and took him into custody. The revolver of Detective Munusamy, which was stolen from him after his stabbing, was later recovered from a mailbox by a postman, Inche Mohamed Shariff bin Atan, nearby Holland Road.[3]

Arrests and charges

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After the murder took place, the police investigated the case and set out on a manhunt for suspects believed to be involved in the stabbing of Detective Munusamy.[4] Several people were held for questioning relating to the case, but ultimately, two of these suspects, 28-year-old contractor Lim Heng Soon (alias Ah Soon) and 19-year-old Quek Hock Bee, were charged with murder on 17 February 1968. Lim was the same gang member wounded by Detective Munusamy prior to his death while Quek was the person whom the fallen cop wanted to apprehend before his death.[5][6]

Background details of Lim (who was born in 1941) showed that he was the eldest of three children and had a younger brother and younger sister, and he studied only five years at Fuhua Primary School before dropping out to work as a contractor, and had plans to get married with a female co-worker in mid-1968 before the murder took place.[7]

One of the suspects, Low Ngah Ngah (alias Ah Ngah, Ngah Ngah or Low May Koon 刘美坤 Líu Měikūn), a factory worker and neighbour of Quek, was also identified, but he was not arrested as he could not be found. The police placed him on the wanted list.[8] They also put up a reward of S$3,000 for his capture.[9][10]

On 30 March 1968, two days after his arrest,[11] 29-year-old Low Ngah Ngah became the third person to be charged with murder in relation to Detective Munusamy's killing.[12] Lim, Low and Quek were all remanded for investigations and psychiatric evaluation, but after some preliminary hearings of the trio's case between April and May 1968,[13] Quek was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for the murder, leaving only Lim and Low to be the two suspects to stand trial for murder on 7 May 1968, since they were identified to be the ones attacking and stabbing Detective Munusamy to death.[14][15][16]

Trial and sentencing

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Prosecution's case

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Low Ngah Ngah, one of the two defendants charged with killing Detective Munusamy.

The trial of both Lim Heng Soon and Low Ngah Ngah began on 11 November 1968 at the High Court. K S Rajah and Tan Teow Yeow were assigned to prosecute both Lim and Low for murder. Khoo Hin Hiong represented Lim during his trial, while Low was represented by another lawyer, J G Advani. Supreme Court judge T Kulasekaram was the presiding judge, and a seven-man jury was set. Prior to its abolition in January 1970, jury trials were conducted to hear capital cases.

Bus conductor Neo Yew (梁友 Liáng Yǒu), one of the prosecution's witnesses, testified that on the day of the murder, he was informed about Lim being shot, and he helped bring him to the hospital. He said that he remembered Lim telling him that he had been shot by a detective during a fight.[17][18] A public health worker named V. Krishnan, who was a childhood friend of the deceased victim, testified that he witnessed Detective Munusamy being restrained by two men, who stabbed him with knives. Krishnan identified Lim and Low to be the ones who did the stabbing.[19][20][21] According to forensic pathologist Dr Chandna Singh, the majority of the wounds found on the victim were fatal and they caused 24-year-old Detective Munusamy to die.[22] Lim Keok Puan, who tended to the mortally wounded detective, corroborated this by stating that the severity of the wounds resulted in Detective Munusamy's death twenty minutes after reaching the hospital.[23][24][25] Dr B Patel, a medical surgeon who operated on Lim also came to court to testify.[26][27]

Defence's case

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At the close of the prosecution's case, both defendants were called to give their defence. The first accused, Lim Heng Soon l, chose not to go to the stand. Instead, he chose to give a statement on the dock. Lim told the court that he had nothing to do with the murder. He stated that on the night of the incident, he was actually a bystander who happened to witness a fight between five men and an Indian man, who he said was Munusamy. During the fight itself, Lim claimed he saw Munusamy taking out his revolver to fire at his attackers, but the three shots strayed, and they hit Lim instead.[28][29]

The second accused, Low Ngah Ngah, who also elected to give a statement on the dock, testified that he was not involved in the stabbing, but indeed got into a struggle with Munusamy, as Munusamy had assaulted and tried to arrest Quek Hock Bee, who was Low's neighbour. After the fight, Low claimed that shortly after he left the scene, he saw three men coming towards Munusamy, and he identified one of them as Sim Twa Poon (沈大本 Shěn Dàběn), an acquaintance of his, and he stated it was Sim and the other two people who stabbed Munusamy.[30]

The prosecution submitted in rebuttal that based on the evidence, there was no reasonable doubt that the two defendants had committed murder, and asked that the jury should find the duo guilty of murder, based on the fact that the stabbing was committed intentionally and in furtherance of the common intention to attack Detective Munusamy, which led to injuries inflicted on the victim that were sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, which made both Lim and Low equally culpable for the offence of murder.[31]

Final submissions and jury verdict

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On 30 November 1968, after the prosecution and defence made their final submissions,[32][33][34] the trial judge, Justice Kulasekaram, summed up the case on behalf of the jury and the verdict was scheduled to be given the same day after the session was adjourned.

After a three-hour adjournment, the seven-men jury returned to the courtroom after reaching their verdict. In the verdict, the jury unanimously found both 28-year-old Lim Heng Soon and 29-year-old Low Ngah Ngah guilty of murdering Detective Munusamy by common intention under both Sections 302 and 34 of the Penal Code. The jury recommended the mandatory death sentence for both Lim and Low for murder. In accordance to the jury's decision, Justice Kulasekaram found both the defendants guilty of murder and convicted them as charged, and consequently, both Lim Heng Soon and Low Ngah Ngah were sentenced to death by hanging.[35][36][37][38]

Aftermath

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Appeals and executions

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After the end of their trial, both Lim Heng Soon and Low Ngah Ngah engaged prominent lawyer and opposition politician David Saul Marshall to represent them in the appeal against their sentences and convictions. Arguing the appeal at the Court of Appeal, Marshall submitted that the trial judge, T Kulasekaram, had not properly directed the jury in terms of the summing up of the case, to allow the jury to be able to more definitely reach a guilty verdict of murder, and there were various errors made during the summing up and lack of consideration of the defence's case before the verdict. Marshall sought to set aside the convictions and sentences of Lim and Low due to the unfairness of the judgement.[39][40][41]

On 15 November 1969, the three judges - Supreme Court judges Tan Ah Tah and F A Chua, and Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin - found that there was sufficient evidence to prove that the two defendants were guilty of the charge of murdering Detective Munusamy, and there was no error on the judge's or jury's part when summing up the case and reaching the verdict. Therefore, the three-judge panel of the appellate court rejected the appeal.[42][43]

Subsequently, one of the defendants, Lim Heng Soon, petitioned for special leave to appeal to the Privy Council in London against his sentence. However, on 20 March 1970, the Privy Council refused Lim's application. Low Ngah Ngah, on the other hand, did not appeal to the Privy Council.[44][45][46] After exhausting all avenues of appeal, the two Munusamy murderers - Lim and Low - were eventually hanged at Changi Prison sometime between 1970 and 1972. They were not among the list of death row inmates remaining alive in September 1972, when the names of the eight prisoners - including Mimi Wong and Sim Woh Kum - on death row (all for murder) were revealed to the public.[47]

Lasting reputation of case

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In the aftermath of the killers' executions, the case of Detective Munusamy's murder would be recalled several times as one of the high-profile murders of policemen while in line of their duty. Notably, in December 1985, when Detective Goh Ah Khia was shot and killed by Lim Keng Peng (alias Ah Huat), a notorious criminal, the blatant manner and brutality of Detective Goh's killing recalled Detective Munusamy's murder and several other past cases where policemen were murdered while in the line of duty during the past two decades prior to Detective Goh's killing.[48][49] Lim, who was also the perpetrator behind a restaurant owner's murder, was eventually gunned down by police on 3 May 1988 after a 30-month manhunt.[50][51]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Wanted for the murder of police detective constable Monisamy s/o Doresamy at Bukit Timah 6 m.s. on 5. 2. 1968" (PDF). National Archives Online. 14 February 1968.
  2. ^ "Big hunt for killer gang". The Straits Times. 7 February 1968.
  3. ^ "5 held in manhunt for killers of 'tec". The Straits Times. 8 February 1968.
  4. ^ "'Tec's death: 6 suspects now held". The Straits Times. 9 February 1968.
  5. ^ "Charged with murder". Eastern Sun. 17 February 1968.
  6. ^ "印籍探員遇害案兩名嫌犯遭提控還押下週五過堂". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 17 February 1968.
  7. ^ "探員在武吉智馬遭刺斃命案續審第一被告出庭答辯當時偶然經過該處因爲要知道發生何事故往探視". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 26 November 1968.
  8. ^ "Slain 'tec: Police wish to query this man". The Straits Times. 15 February 1968.
  9. ^ "警方懸賞下靑年終落網被控謀殺警探並奪取該探員左輪手槍". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 30 March 1968.
  10. ^ "警方懸賞三千元通緝 謀殺探員兇手". Sin Chew Jit Poh (in Chinese). 28 March 1968.
  11. ^ "警方通緝下 謀殺探員嫌犯 劉雅雅已被捕". Sin Chew Jit Poh (in Chinese). 30 March 1968.
  12. ^ "Man charged with 'tec's murder". The Straits Times. 30 March 1968.
  13. ^ "Slain detective: Three charged". The Straits Times. 10 April 1968.
  14. ^ "Two men stabbed detective court told". Eastern Sun. 4 May 1968.
  15. ^ "Murder: Two for High Court trial". Eastern Sun. 7 May 1968.
  16. ^ "印籍探員遇害案初審畢次被告無事省釋首三被告表面供証成立案移巡迴庭受正式鞫訊". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 7 May 1968.
  17. ^ "BUSMAN TELLS OF WOUNDED MAN". The Straits Times. 12 April 1968.
  18. ^ "印籍探員遇害案初審三名男子被控觸犯謀殺罪嫌証人供當晚曾見首被告身上染血漬". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 10 April 1968.
  19. ^ "I saw the stabbing of 'tec: Witness". The Straits Times. 16 November 1968.
  20. ^ "武吉智馬兇殺命案續審重要証人出庭描述目擊探員遭刺情形郵差供稱在郵筒中發現手槍". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 16 November 1968.
  21. ^ "武吉智馬六英里謀殺案續審訊証人指第一二被告各自左右刀刺印探並見探員向首被告開槍". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 19 November 1968.
  22. ^ "6 stab wounds on detective, court told". Eastern Sun. 15 November 1968.
  23. ^ "印籍探員遇害案昨日繼續初審專家供述死者因傷口溢血過多斃命". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 11 April 1968.
  24. ^ "2 bullets shown at 'tec murder inquiry". The Straits Times. 11 April 1968.
  25. ^ "Stabbed 'tec died 20 minutes after admission, murder trial". Eastern Sun. 13 November 1968.
  26. ^ "印籍探員遭刺斃案一醫生供述檢驗遇刺探員救治經過情形並指出發現首被告身上有槍傷". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 13 November 1968.
  27. ^ "Surgeon: I extracted two bullets from accused's chest". Eastern Sun. 14 November 1968.
  28. ^ "Detective murder: 2 called for defence". The Straits Times. 26 November 1968.
  29. ^ "印籍探員殉職案昨續審 首被吿否認行兇 因好奇惹來麻煩". Sin Chew Jit Poh (in Chinese). 26 November 1968.
  30. ^ "'Tec death: Man tells of fight". The Straits Times. 27 November 1968.
  31. ^ "No doubt they committed murder, submits prosecutor". Eastern Sun. 29 November 1968.
  32. ^ "2 men's trial on murder charge nears end". The Straits Times. 28 November 1968.
  33. ^ "'TEC MURDER CASE: DPP's SUBMISSION". The Straits Times. 29 November 1968.
  34. ^ "印探深夜遭謀殺案今日可能定讞控辯雙方均已陳詞完畢". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 29 November 1968.
  35. ^ "Two to hang for slaying detective". The Straits Times. 30 November 1968.
  36. ^ "殺害印探員案審結兩被告遭判處死刑七陪審員經兩小時考慮一致判定謀殺罪名成立". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 30 November 1968.
  37. ^ "探員慕努沙米氏殉職案 前後經十四天審訊 兩被吿終遭處絞刑". Sin Chew Jit Poh (in Chinese). 30 November 1968.
  38. ^ "印籍探員遭刺 兩被吿處絞刑". Shin Min Daily (in Chinese). 30 November 1968.
  39. ^ "被指殺害探員之兩靑年不服死刑判决向聯邦庭上訴馬紹爾律師述上訴理由". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 29 July 1969.
  40. ^ "馬紹爾律師指出探員遭殺害案承審官諸多疏誤——在向陪審團綜合案情及指示法律時且對第一被吿辯詞未詳加叙述". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 30 July 1969.
  41. ^ "兩名靑年死囚上訴案聯邦庭保留判决因涉及重要法律問題". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 1 August 1969.
  42. ^ "印籍探員遭圍截刺斃案兩被告上訴失敗聯邦法庭昨宣判駁囘上訴維持巡迥庭死刑原判". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 15 November 1969.
  43. ^ "印籍探員殉職案審結後 兩死囚提出上訴 企推翻絞刑原判". Sin Chew Jit Poh (in Chinese). 15 November 1969.
  44. ^ "Murder Appeal Dismissed". Eastern Sun. 20 March 1970.
  45. ^ "一青年因謀殺罪向樞密院上訴司法委會不准死刑已成定局另一被告則未聞提上訴". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 21 March 1970.
  46. ^ "Privy Council 'no' to killer". The Straits Times. 20 March 1970.
  47. ^ "Fighting for reprieve in death row". New Nation. 21 September 1972.
  48. ^ "20年来共5警员追缉匪徒时殉职". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 20 December 1985.
  49. ^ "25年来5警员殉职". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese). 9 May 1989.
  50. ^ "Most wanted man shot dead". The Straits Times. 4 May 1988.
  51. ^ "Ah Huat believed to have killed Chicken-Eater owner". The Straits Times. 7 May 1988.
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