Five Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers involved in a fatal ragging incident have been charged in court on July 25, 2018.

Allegedly pushed into pump well

On the night of May 13, 2018, Corporal Kok Yuen Chin, 22, was celebrating his impending Operationally Ready Date (ORD) with his squad mates at Tuas View Fire Station when he was allegedly pushed into a pump well.

However, he did not resurface and was found unconscious at the bottom of the 12m-deep pump well.

A Committee of Inquiry subsequently convened to investigate the case: 

Causing death by rash act

Staff Sergeant Muhammad Nur Fatwa Mahmood, 32, faces two charges.

The first is causing death by committing a rash act for pushing Kok down the pump well.

The second is abetting the obstruction of justice, as he had instigated Staff Sergeant Adighazali Suhaimi to delete video evidence of Kok being pushed down the well.

Adighazali was charged for intentionally obstructing the course of justice for deleting the video.

First Warrant Officer Mohamed Farid Mohd Saleh was charged with abetting a rash act causing death for instigating Muhammad to push Kok down the pump well.

Both Lieutenant Chong Chee Boon Kenneth and First Warrant Officer Nazhan Mohamed Nazi were charged for intentionally abetting a rash act that caused grievous hurt.

They were the commander and deputy commander respectively of the rotation (ROTA 3) where the men involved were attached.

Eight other officers who were present during the incident were referred by the police to SCDF for departmental investigations.

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Penalties for death by rash act

According to the penal code, the maximum penalty for causing death by rash act is an imprisonment term of five years and a fine.

Punishments for causing grievous hurt by a rash act, on the other hand, includes a maximum imprisonment term of four years and a fine no more S$10,000.

Whoever intentionally obstructs the course of justice can be sentenced to up to seven years of imprisonment and a fine.

H/T: TODAY

Top image from SCDF's Facebook page