Man linked to 2019 Orchard Towers murder jailed for assaulting man at Jurong KTV in unrelated case

A man who was linked to the 2019 Orchard Towers murder was sentenced to five months' jail after pleading guilty to an unrelated assault case on Apr. 1, 2025.

Tan Hong Sheng, 28, got into a fight with a then-35-year-old man at a Jurong KTV outlet in November 2023, where he also flung an empty beer bottle onto the floor.

The fight led to the 35-year-old having multiple injuries, including facial fractures, reported Shin Min Daily News and The Straits Times.

What happened

Tan was at a Jurong KTV outlet on Nov. 27, 2023, at around 10pm where he was using a urinal at the restroom.

The 35-year-old victim entered the restroom and used a nearby urinal, where Tan took offence at the victim looking at him repeatedly.

The court heard that the victim had been looking at the Tan’s hand, which held a lit cigarette, as the former was concerned that he would be burned by it.

Tan stood at the entrance of the restroom and confronted the victim.

He proceeded to slap the victim's face, and the victim pushed Tan in response, leading to them getting into a fight where they both suffered injuries to their face and heads.

Tan then went into a random room in the KTV and retrieved an empty beer bottle, where he flung it onto the restroom floor.

Police were alerted to the incident, and Tan was arrested on Nov. 30, 2023.

The victim went to the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and was hospitalised until Nov. 30, 2023.

He was given 29 days of hospitalisation leave, as well as a stern warning for his involvement in the case.

Tan, who was under a remission order from Nov. 26, 2022, to Jun. 26, 2024, was given an additional 64 days in jail for breaching the order.

He had been released from prison in 2022, when he was supposed to keep himself out of trouble while on the order.

Tan's lawyer pleaded with the judge to give his client a more lenient sentence, saying Tan is remorseful and is currently seeking counselling.

The 28-year-old had also apologised to the victim and given him a compensation of S$3,100.

Tan is scheduled to begin his sentence on Apr. 15.

Previous offences

Tan was previously sentenced to a jail term of four years and nine months, and 12 strokes of the cane in March 2021 for his involvement in the 2019 Orchard Towers murder, as well as two unrelated rioting cases in November 2018 and April 2019.

Tan did not participate in the attack on 31-year-old Satheesh Noel Gobidass at Orchard Towers in 2019, and was given reduced charges of being in the company of a person possessing an offensive weapon, and being a member of an unlawful assembly to assault a person.

According to ST, he was released from prison in 2022 and placed under a remission order. That meant he was supposed to stay out of trouble from Nov. 26, 2022, to Jun. 26, 2024. This current incident happened in November 2023.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News