River Valley High death: 16-year-old suspect believed to have bought axe online

The 'full facts' will be made known after investigations are complete, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam said.

Joshua Lee| July 20, 2021, 11:54 AM

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More details about the July 19 River Valley High School incident have emerged.

Preliminary investigations found that the 16-year-old suspect bought the axe online.

This was revealed by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam in a Facebook post on July 20.

In his post, Shanmugam called the incident "completely shocking", and said:

"One of the worst things that can happen to parents is to hear, from school, that their child has been killed."

He also added that the "full facts" will be known after investigations are complete.During court proceedings today when the suspect was charged with murder, the Attorney-General Chambers told the court that he has a history of mental health issues.

According to CNA, a police prosecutor revealed in court that the teenager had previously been a patient at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), after he attempted suicide at the age of 14.

Background

The 13-year-old victim from River Valley High School was found motionless in a school toilet on July 19.

He had multiple wounds.

https://mothership.sg/2021/07/river-valley-high-stabbing-killed/

Mothership was on site in the afternoon of July 19 and saw students being let out of the main gate. Parents were also seen outside the school, waiting to pick up their kids.

The boy was pronounced dead at scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.

The 16-year-old student was arrested by the police and was charged in court on July 20.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just have a listening ear:

National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868

Samaritans of Singapore 24-hour Hotline: 1800-221-4444

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

AWARE Women's Helpline: 1800-777-555 (10am - 6pm, Monday to Friday)

Top image credit: Denise Tan.