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Natalie Siow Yu Zhen has been released from prison on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021.

She is the sole woman linked to the Orchard Towers murder in July 2019.

Siow turns 25 this year.

In total, Siow spent slightly more than 200 days behind bars.

How her jail sentence adds up

On Oct. 9, 2020, Siow was sentenced to five months’ jail on top of having already spent 107 days (roughly three-and-a-half months) in remand earlier after she was arrested and before she was formally charged and convicted.

Her 107-day stint in remand together with the additional five-month jail sentence handed out meant that Siow would have been put away for 8.5 months in total.

However, owing to Singapore's two-third remission system for ex-offenders, Siow only needed to serve slightly more than 200 days out of a total of her eight-and-a-half months sentence to fulfil the two-third sentence quota.

Instagram Story update

Siow's Instagram account posted an update on Jan. 18 following her release from prison.

The Instagram Story showed some gifts Siow received following the end of her incarceration.

Initially charged with murder

Her initial murder charge was subsequently reduced, and she pleaded guilty to one count of assault, among other offences.

Tan Sen Yang, another alleged offender who turns 29 this year, still faces a murder charge.

Singapore's remission system

According to Singapore's remission system for ex-offenders, most inmates will be released at the two-third mark of their sentence.

The current Conditional Remission System and Mandatory Aftercare Scheme, which took effect on July 1, 2014, is slightly stricter than the previous remission system, which saw ex-offenders released without condition.

The stricter measures imposed require offenders, who can be released back into society, meet certain conditions.

From the Singapore Prison Service website:

This will be replaced by the Conditional Remission System (CRS), which seeks to deter ex-offenders from re-offending by subjecting them to conditions upon their release. Most ex-offenders will generally still be released at the two-thirds mark of their sentence, with the basic condition of not to re-offend during the remission period and be sentenced to an imprisonment term (excluding a default sentence) or given any other sentence such as reformative training, corrective training and preventive detention.

The purpose of this is to support ex-offenders in staying crime-free and deter them from re-offending.

Top photos via Natalie Siow Instagram

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