The 16-year-old River Valley High School (RVHS) student who is accused of murder has been remanded for two more weeks.
Remanded two more weeks
The teen, who cannot be named as he is a minor, appeared in court on Tuesday (Aug. 10) via video link.
According to CNA, the prosecution had asked for a two-week extension of his remand in the Complex Medical Centre and Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for the completion of psychological evaluation and forensic assessment.
Request for video call
The teen's parents had also requested to communicate with him through a five-minute video session, reported Yahoo.
The request was made in court by the teen's new lawyers Sunil Sudheesan and Diana Ngiam of law firm Quahe Woo & Palmer. They had replaced his previous lawyer Peter Keith Fernando.
Sudheesan stated in court that the teen's parents would not discuss the case during the video session, and that they only wanted to "check on the well-being of their son", reported CNA.
According to Today, the teen's parents and family members were present in court.
Request rejected
District Judge Brenda Tan rejected the video call request.
She explained, as reported by Yahoo, that it is not time for the teen's parents to speak to him and that such arrangements can be made later when appropriate.
The teen will return to court on Aug. 24.
While the penalty for murder includes death, an accused who is under 18 at the time of offence cannot be sentenced to death.
Instead, he or she can be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Background
The teen first appeared in court on July 20.
He was charged with murdering a 13-year-old boy inside the toilet located at level 4 of Block D in RVHS between 11:16am and 11:44am on July 19.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the two students had not known each other before the incident, and that the 16-year-old had purchased the axe — the alleged murder weapon — online.
Previous court proceedings revealed that the teen had a history of mental health issues.
He had previously been a patient at IMH, after he attempted suicide at the age of 14.
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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 by Ashley Tan.