Man gets jail for pushing stranger into Singapore river, resulting in death

SINGAPORE: A 22-year-old Indian national was sentenced to 35 months' jail on 16 July for pushing an intoxicated man into the Singapore River, resulting in his death by drowning. Legha Pawan pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to Jasbir Singh, 33, which ultimately resulted in grievous hurt in the form of death. His charge had been reduced from an earlier charge of causing death by a rash act. A second charge was taken into consideration during sentencing. The court heard that on the evening of 30 June 2024, Legha, a student, left his Woodlands flat with several housemates for a night out at Clarke Quay. They brought along beer, cigarettes and snacks, and sat near the steps by the Singapore River, close to Paradox Singapore Merchant Court Hotel and Clarke Quay Central mall. Over the next few hours, they drank and socialised. Legha consumed two cans of beer. The group was later joined by other acquaintances, and just before 10pm, an argument broke out. Legha, who was intoxicated, pulled a friend’s hair and had to be restrained by another to prevent a fight. The group dispersed shortly after. At around 10.10pm, the victim, Jasbir Singh, was seen walking along the riverbank. A construction worker, he was married with two young children in India who depended on him financially. Singh had reportedly begun drinking heavily about two or three months before the incident, following the death of his mother. He and Legha did not know each other. Singh stopped near the riverside area and hugged a lamp post close to where Legha had earlier been drinking with his friends. At around 10.30pm, Legha returned alone to the area and approached Singh, who was standing near the river’s edge. A nearby couple, who had earlier witnessed Legha’s aggressive behaviour, grew wary when they saw him again. Initially, Legha spoke quietly to Singh without making physical contact. But without warning or provocation, he suddenly shoved Singh on the chest with both hands. Singh lost his balance, fell backwards down the steps, and into the river.

Victim Did Not Resurface

The nearby couple shouted in alarm as Singh quickly submerged and failed to resurface. They alerted the police, while Legha fled the scene. The Singapore Civil Defence Force’s Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) was activated and deployed divers to search the waters in 30 to 45-minute intervals. Apart from a single white slipper belonging to the victim, there was no trace of him until around 2am on 1 July 2024, when his body was discovered on the riverbed. He was pronounced dead shortly after. An autopsy confirmed drowning as the cause of death. The pathologist also found a bruise on the back of Singh’s neck and a laceration on the back of his head. Toxicology results revealed a high level of ethanol in his blood. After the incident, Legha removed his shirt in an effort to avoid detection and took a train home. He later called an unwitting housemate to meet him at a different block with his backpack, intending to evade the police. He returned to his flat only at around 8am the following morning and was promptly arrested. During investigations, Legha claimed that Singh had grabbed and damaged his bangle, and that he reacted after Singh used vulgarities against his mother. However, police found no objective evidence to support this claim.

Court’s Remarks and Sentencing

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin said Legha was aware that the victim was intoxicated, and it was “reasonably foreseeable” that pushing him could result in grievous harm. She highlighted several aggravating factors, including Legha’s own intoxication, the unprovoked nature of the act, and his failure to render assistance after the fall. Defence lawyer Simran Kaur Sandhu sought a lighter sentence of 30 months, noting that both men were intoxicated and that the push did not target any vulnerable part of the body. She described it as “a generic push” and emphasised that no weapon was used. For voluntarily causing hurt that resulted in grievous hurt, Legha could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.