A man who fell in love with a domestic worker became unhappy when she proposed breaking up as she wanted to return to her home country after her contract expired.

He ended up breaking into her bedroom and assaulting her.

Cai Guopei (transliteration from Mandarin) pleaded guilty to five charges, including breaking and entering, intentional assault and theft, Shin Min Daily News reported.

During his assault, the 65-year-old pulled her hair, slammed her head against the ground and stripped her half-naked, while sitting on top of her.

At the time of the incident, Cai had been working as a plumber at a private residence in Telok Kurau, while the victim was the domestic worker of the family who lived at this residence.

Assault took place in March 2026

According to charge sheets, both Cai and the victim had developed romantic feelings after meeting each other.

However, the victim planned to return to her home country once her contract expired and decided to break up with Cai.

Cai refused to comply and so between 10pm on Mar. 21 and 5am on Mar. 22, he scaled the wall of the residence and entered the bedroom of the domestic worker.

After she was awakened by the sound of him breaking into her bedroom, Cai assaulted her.

Following the assault, the domestic worker found bruises on her scalp after a hospital examination.

Cai: Victim had accepted marriage proposal

While in court, Cai revealed that the victim had accepted his marriage proposal and that he had also spent a lot of money on her.

During his mitigation plea, Cai's lawyer highlighted how his client had no prior criminal record, had fully cooperated during the investigation and had also returned all items to the victim.

The lawyer stated that Cai had committed the crime in a desperate bid to save the relationship.

The case has been adjourned to Oct. 1 for sentencing, with the judge noting that Cai had also expressed his willingness to compensate the victim for her medical costs.

Cai is currently out on bail for S$20,000.

The Singaporean diver who went missing during a diving expedition in Palau on Sep. 7 was said to be a prominent figure in the local diving community.

The search for Robert Tan Soon Liang, 62, ended inconclusively days after he went missing alongside his dive buddy, a 43-year-old Chinese national called Xiaoxi Wu, also known as Helen.

Tributes have since poured in, remembering the man who was a respected figure and friend to all.

Search called off

Local Palau media Island Times reported that the pair were diving at Palau's Peleliu Wall, an advanced dive site and vertical wall running along the western side of the island.

Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean.

Both divers were part of a diving expedition aboard the M/Y Black Pearl.

According to Island Times, the pair were described as highly experienced divers.

Tan held an SSI Instructor Certifier qualification with more than 5,100 logged dives, while Wu was a certified Advanced Open Water diver with 243 logged dives.

Tan reportedly used his own diving equipment, and both divers chose to use personal GPS devices instead of those provided on board.

The five-day search involved local marine authorities, including the Peleliu State rangers and the U.S. Coast Guard Joint Rescue Sub-Center in Guam.

It ended on Sep. 11 without successfully recovering either diver.

What may have happened

Days after the conclusion of the search, Tan's family said they have accepted his death.

His children issued a statement and laid out details of what may have happened on that day, according to a document shared with Mothership by Tan's daughter Melissa.

"Thank you for your overwhelming love, condolences, and support following the tragic loss of our beloved husband and father, Robert, during a dive in Palau on 7 Sep 2026."

In describing that fateful day, the statement shared that towards the end of the dive, while going for a safety stop, the dive guide noticed that Tan and Wu were no longer ascending but were descending rapidly.

Safety stops are pauses taken during an ascension to the surface to ensure divers are sufficiently acclimatised to prevent decompression sickness.

The guide apparently attempted to reach the pair, but was forced to abort the attempt at a 40-metre depth as it exceeded safe diving depth limits, the statement read.

Accepted his death

"Sadly, given the circumstances and the time that has passed, our family has accepted that Dad could not have survived."

The family laid out the rationale behind this, explaining that Tan's air supply would have likely emptied out in one to two minutes at a 40-metre depth considering this was the end of the dive, and that the location where he went missing extends to depths of 300 to 500 metres.

His body would also not have floated to the surface due to the weight of diving equipment, which can go up to 40kg, they said.

The family chose not to undertake a deep-water recovery expedition after the search ended, considering the hazards and near-zero chance of recovering the body.

"Instead, we have chosen to let Dad rest peacefully in the ocean he loved," they said.

A life in the sea

According to them, Tan began diving in 1994 and dedicated decades of his life to the sea.

In his lifetime, he instructed generations of divers.

"He held immense reverence for the ocean and had always expressed that, when his time came, he wished to return to the sea.

Although we wish deeply that he could come home to us, we find comfort in knowing that he now rests in the place he loved so dearly."

The family also found comfort in knowing that Tan's final moments were likely peaceful.

Nitrogen narcosis would have kicked in below 30 to 40 metres, they said, which would have behaved "like a clinical anaesthetic" and removed fear.

He also would have likely lost consciousness within seconds at that depth without physical pain or trauma.

More importantly, "he was doing what brought him immense meaning and joy throughout his life", the statement wrote.

According to another document detailing Tan's memorial details, he was also a pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

The memorial service will be held from Sep. 25 to 27 at Youngberg Terrace, near Woodleigh MRT Station.

Friend to all

The local dive community has since taken to social media to express their condolences to Tan's family.

Serene Pek, founder of local dive company Cuddlefish Divers, said in a Facebook post that when she first explored Pulau Hantu during a dive expedition nine years ago, Tan was the person she reached out to.

"He was a regular face every weekend, rain or shine, first one on Dolphin Explorer!" she said, referring to the company's yacht.

"Robert was more than just a familiar name in the local dive community," she added.

"He was a passionate advocate for Singapore diving, a respected figure whose enthusiasm inspired countless divers to venture into our waters and appreciate the beauty beneath the surface.

A Japanese woman in her 50s was left unable to breathe after a surgeon removed healthy tissue from her brain by mistake, instead of a benign tumour.

According to Japanese media TV Asahi, the error was committed by surgeons at Kyoto University Hospital in July 2026.

The woman is now unable to breathe on her own, and requires management with a ventilator, Sankei reported.

What happened?

Prior to the surgery, the woman had been experiencing dizziness and unsteadiness, although she was able to go about her life as per normal.

To prevent these symptoms from worsening, she decided to undergo a craniotomy, which took about 10 hours.

Three doctors were present during the surgery, with the lead surgeon being a man with over 20 years of experience in neurosurgery, as well as around a hundred such surgeries under his belt.

TV Asahi reported that this doctor performed tests twice during the surgery to determine if the removed tissue was a tumour.

Despite the results failing to confirm that the removed tissue belonged to the tumour, he continued with the surgery.

Following the surgery, the woman did not gain consciousness or resume breathing on her own.

An MRI scan subsequently revealed that the tumour remained while the woman had sustained damage to the area where the respiratory centre is located, Sankei further reported.

She is currently able to respond to question to questions by opening and closing her eyes, but is unable to breathe spontaneously. Treatment will continue to assess the possibility of her recovery.

The hospital's neurosurgery department later stated that it believed there had been an error in judgement.

When asked if the incident was due to overconfidence stemming from experience, Yoshiteru Ara, the Chief of Neurosurgery at Kyoto University Hospital replied, "I think so."

At a press conference, the hospital director, Akifumi Takaori, apologised, saying they would provide the woman with the best possible treatment, as well as investigate this incident to prevent reoccurrences.

A video of the immediate aftermath of a drink driving accident at Raffles Avenue on Sep. 16 has surfaced, showing the driver initially denying his involvement.

The 42-year-old man, who was arrested after he hit a Chinese tourist with his car, had initially claimed to be a passerby when confronted by the victim's colleagues.

He also admitted to drink driving at first, then backtracked just moments later.

Admitted to, then denied drink driving

According to Shin Min Daily News, the video was taken by a female colleague of the victim immediately after she was hit.

It began with the driver stepping out of the Mercedes-Benz sedan that had veered onto the side of the road.

He then allegedly ran towards some bushes.

When the woman asked him in Mandarin if he had called for an ambulance,  he replied in English, "No, I called my wife. Don't worry, I'm fine."

The woman then asked in English if he had been drinking, to which he answered "yes".

When asked again in Mandarin if he was hurt or if anyone else was in the car, he repeated that he was fine and there was no one else inside.

He then made a phone call, pausing to ask the woman filming for the address of the location.

After he hung up, the woman continued asking how much he had drank, to which he suddenly denied drinking.

She retorted that that was "impossible" as he smelt strongly of alcohol.

Claimed to be passerby

The man also asked the woman if he had hit anyone.

She confirmed this and asked him to check on the victim, who was lying on the ground.

"Oh really?" the man allegedly responded, before repeatedly denying the accident, reported Shin Min.

When he eventually walked over to the victim, he claimed that he "didn't hit her".

When questioned further, the man said: "I didn't drive, I'm a passerby."

He then attempted to leave the scene, claiming he had to go to the restroom.

However, the woman and other onlookers stopped him, asking to exchange contact information.

The police soon arrived at the scene and the man was arrested for drink driving.

A witness previously said he attempted to shake hands with a police officer when officers arrived, but the officer did not respond.

Victim suffered spine fracture

The victim, a Chinese national travelling with a group of colleagues, reportedly suffered a spinal fracture and required surgery after the accident.

She appeared to be conscious but was occasionally touching her lower back, a witness said, adding that several passers-by stepped forward to help her and called for an ambulance.

One of the woman's colleagues, surnamed Zhou, was also injured in the incident.

Zhou told Shin Min that the group had been walking to catch a bus when the accident happened.

According to him, his colleague, who was walking ahead, was struck by the car.

She then collided with him as a result of the impact, causing him to hit a concrete bollard by the roadside.

He also suffered an abrasion to his arm.

He was later admitted to the hospital due to chest tightness and dizziness, but was discharged the following day.

A two-year-old toddler in Chongqing, China died after falling from the 18th floor window of an apartment.

He had reportedly been left alone at home for 12 minutes by his father, who was walking the family dog.

Alone at home

According to chinese media The Paper, the incident occurred on Sep. 13.

The toddler's mother, surnamed Liu, had left for a work event at a hotel, leaving her husband and child at home.

At about 3:26pm, the father, surnamed Cui, placed the boy on the living room sofa to watch cartoons on the television.

He then left the house to walk the dog.

When he returned 12 minutes later, he discovered that the child was missing from the apartment.

As he searched the unit, he heard a shout from outside the balcony that a child had fallen from the building.

He then saw his son lying on the ground below.

Child likely climbed out of window

Cui told the media that the balcony railing was over a metre high, Sina News reported.

He added that a screen had been installed over the balcony previously, but had been removed.

The window was also not closed at the time of the incident.

Surveillance cameras inside the unit were not plugged in at the time, making it difficult to reconstruct the incident.

According to forensics examiners, the boy is believed to have stepped on the edge of a bathtub on the balcony and climbed out of the window.

He was holding his blanket in one hand at the time.

During the fall, he also reportedly hit a tree branch, causing severe internal bleeding that led to his death.

There were no other external injuries.

"I am willing to take responsibility"

Cui was taken in by police for questioning, but released after it was found that no abuse had occurred.

In preparing for his son's wake, Cui said that while the incident was unintentional, he was willing to take full responsibility for it.

He also felt very guilty, he added, stating that he simply wanted to finish handling funeral arrangements before he comforts his wife.

However, according to The Paper, Liu accused her husband of not being adequately involved in their child's caregiving. The couple had reportedly argued about household chores and child-rearing responsibilities just days before.

Her biggest request was for her husband to admit to his mistakes, she told the media.

A 43-year-old Taiwanese man who was allegedly unhappy that his Thai girlfriend broke up with him is suspected of strangling her to death, putting her body in a suitcase, then hiding it in a freezer at his office.

When asked by his colleagues about the appearance of the freezer at the office, the man replied that he had bought ingredients to prepare for the Mid-Autumn festival.

The man, surnamed Wu, was arrested on Sep. 19 by Taiwanese authorities.

The alleged murder supposedly took place on Sep. 12 at a hotel in Ximending, Taiwanese media SETNews reported.

Had dated each other for more than a year

Taiwanese media EBC reported that the couple had known and dated each other for more than a year, and that they would often fly to each other's countries to meet.

SETNews further wrote that the woman had planned to break up with Wu in early August.

At the time of the murder, the woman had flown in to Taiwan on Sep. 2, and was scheduled to return to Thailand on Sep. 14.

From Sep. 2 to Sep. 11, the pair also met almost every day.

On Sep. 12, Wu showed up at her hotel with a 30-inch suitcase.

During this time, they had an argument as the woman brought up the topic of breaking up. Wu allegedly lost control of his emotions during the argument, strangled her then stuffed her body into the suitcase.

He then drove south to Taichung.

On Sep. 14, when the woman's family could not contact her, they immediately alerted the police through a friend in Taiwan.

Wu was eventually arrested on the morning of Sep. 19, following a manhunt. He was then taken to his office, where the woman's body was also discovered.

During questioning, Wu admitted that he was unhappy with her decision to breakup with him and that he had killed her as he saw there was no hope of reconciliation.

A 22-year-old man was arrested at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for voyeurism.

According to an NTU Reddit thread, other gym users said they saw a man being patted down by five security guards at "NH gym", which is presumed to refer to NTU's North Hill gym.

Users said the guards were spotted at the scene since about 7:30pm, and the police later arrived and spoke to other students until at least 8:40pm.

An NTU spokesperson told Mothership in a statement that NTU’s Campus Security responded to a call for assistance on a campus gym on the evening of Sep. 19.

"Security officers subsequently contacted the Singapore Police Force. The police arrested a 22-year-old male student for voyeurism.

NTU wellbeing staff are in touch with affected parties to provide support and assistance. Police investigations are ongoing."

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed they received a call for assistance at 66 Nanyang Crescent on Sep. 19 at about 7:30pm.

The address corresponds to NTU's Banyan Hall.

North Hill gym is located at Binjai Hall, part of the North Hill Halls which also includes Banyan Hall.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A Malaysian man who was active in the country's anime, comics and games (ACG) community has passed away following a livestream where he talked about the struggles he faced in his career and interpersonal relationships.

The man, Solomon Freeman Looi, who went by the online pseudonym of Soloman Freeman, went live in the early morning of Sep. 15.

Soon after, Malaysian police found him dead. He is believed to have fallen from height.

What did he talk about in his livestream?

In a roughly half-hour-long livestream posted to Facebook at around 3am, the 39-year-old spoke at length about how he was involved in a legal dispute many years ago.

He added that while he was eventually proven innocent, the experience still placed him under heavy mental and physical stress.

He also said he had been the subject of false rumours spread by a friend, which resulted in him being disliked by everyone.

In asserting his innocence during the livestream, he said the person in question had since admitted to sexual harassment and even apologised publicly for it.

Despite his self-proclaimed net worth of RM70 million (S$21 million), Looi also shared about several money-related issues and how he had been supporting several women.

He continued that one woman he gave RM1 million (S$313,500) to cheated on him.

Looi added that he sponsored the college tuition fees for other girls, who then "suddenly vanished".

His final "breaking point" was when a woman he had been with for six years also cheated on him.

Looi claimed to have given her millions, two houses, and a Lamborghini, and described these incidents as "betrayals".

He ended his livestream by saying:

"Like I said, I'm completely alone now, and I already made up my decision. So whatever it is for you guys, please keep on living... for my part. Peace out. This is Doctor Solomon Freeman signing off."

In response to his livestream, netizens left hundreds of comments expressing concern for his well-being.

Fell from height

At 3:38am, Looi posted one last Facebook post with the words "Good bye".

The Malaysian police confirmed that they were alerted at about 4:43am.

A Chinese man was believed to have fallen from a height of about 20 storeys, China Press reported.

They said that preliminary investigations did not reveal a suicide note.

Police investigations are still ongoing.

Tributes have been posted online, highlighting Looi's contributions to the ACG community.

Helplines

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

• National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)
• National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)
• SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)
• Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)
• HOME (migrant worker): +65 6341 5535 (WhatsApp / Viber / SMS)
• HOME (domestic worker): +65 9787 3122 (WhatsApp / SMS / Call)
• SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 8985 5528 (For targets of online harms)
• National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH): 1800-777-0000

During a renovation of his parents' home, a Singaporean man was made to pay S$216,000 for the project after his contractor disappeared.

It was nearly three times the intended cost of S$80,000.

Of the total amount, the losses added up to about S$136,000, with a large bulk of it coming from his parents' retirement savings.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary

The victim, Errol Lee, told CNA's Money Mind that things seemed normal at first.

The family engaged the contractor as he offered them a quotation within their budget of S$80,000.

Other quotations they received were in the range of S$130,000 to S$150,000, which far exceeded their budget.

"Eventually we went with him because of pricing and also because we thought his entire set up was quite credible," said Lee.

The contractor's company had multiple showrooms, and online reviews appeared to be favourable.

The company's director also assured the family that he would personally take care of the project.

He was also responsive and claimed to have worked on more than 300 houses of varying sizes.

Red flags

However, red flags soon appeared as the contractor kept asking for more money than the originally agreed budget.

The additional costs included fees for extra hacking, electrical works, more carpentry and windows.

A chairperson of the Consumer Education Committee of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) told CNA that a common bait used by fraudulent contractors is a low initial quotation.

However, there would later be "add-ons" that can "balloon into huge sums".

An interior designer repeatedly asking for more payments while renovation slows could also be a sign of the company facing cash flow problems, said a co-founder of HomeMatch, a Singapore-based platform that matches homeowners with accredited interior designers and contractors.

In many cases, they cannot continue paying their sub-contractors or lack working capital for material.

Asked to pay director personally

Soon, another request came for Lee's family, where they were asked to transfer S$35,000 to the company's director personally.

The company claimed it was facing issues transiting their bank accounts to another bank.

Lee said they proceeded with the payment despite some hesitation, as the family was anxious to complete renovations and move back in before the Chinese New Year.

The family paid S$77,000 eventually to the company, while S$47,000 went to the director's personal accounts.

Meanwhile, renovation works also slowed.

When the family inspected the home, they realised work was unfinished and there were measurement errors.

The house was also only half painted, and they had previously been selectively shown only the completed areas of the house.

The interior designer had also not used any of the products from the vendor the family had chosen.

When asked, he claimed that he had approached a different cheaper vendor to help them "save money".

Ghosted

Five months after renovations began, the contractor stopped replying his messages.

The company's showrooms were also vacated, and the family soon realised they had lost their money.

They had paid over S$130,000 at this point, but the home had to be rebuilt.

The only items preserved from the half-completed work were the tiles and windows, which Lee said would have cost S$20,000 and S$9,000 respectively.

When a second interior designer was engaged, works were completed in just six weeks.

Lee said that as this was the family's first renovation in many years, it was a "very new experience".

"We didn't think that it was that deep.

So I think the first step should always be to go and find out all these horror stories. What could potentially go wrong before actually looking for an interior design firm and really not get sold by the marketing."

A coroner has ruled the death of a 17-year-old boy who had a basketball frame fall on him in 2021 a misadventure.

On Jul. 26, 2021, Mohd Ridwan suffered fatal head injuries after the structure fell on him during a basketball game with his friends at Block 18 Bedok South Road.

During an attempted dunk, he had reportedly held onto the rim of the basketball hoop structure for about two seconds, unaware of its instability.

It then collapsed on him.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the teen for 10 minutes but to no avail. He later succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital.

Misadventure ruling

According to CNA, a state coroner said on Sep. 18 that the teenager's manner of playing the game that day did not contribute to the accident.

The act of dunking and holding onto the rim were also "part and parcel of the game", he said.

As such, the hoop structure should have easily been able to withstand the forces involved.

Inconsistent welding

The Health Sciences Authority found that the structure's inconsistent welding may have contributed to its collapse.

A breakage had occurred at the weakest point of the pole — the point where the upper and bottom part of the two poles in the structure had been welded together.

According to the coroner, the breakage, and subsequently the accident, would not have occurred if the two welded poles had been one complete pole instead.

Reviews of the manufacturer's schematics also led to his conclusion that the poles had most likely been damaged and then repaired by welding, as the other hoop structure on the other end of the court did not have the same welding.

It was not determined if the damage occurred before or after the structure's installation.

No professional engineer engaged

It was noted that the basketball court had undergone renovations shortly before the accident.

As part of a contract, the renovation works were supposed to be carried out according to a design endorsed by a professional engineer.

The project manager from TMS Alliances, the company that was awarded the tender for repair works under East Coast Town Council, was not aware of such a requirement.

As a result, no professional engineer was recruited, the coroner pointed out.

Additionally, no checks were conducted during or after the installation of the basketball structure to ensure it was structurally sound, the police also found.

Town Council says immediate actions taken

In response to the ruling, East Coast Town Council said in a Facebook post on Sep. 18 that it acknowledges the findings.

"As Town Council, ensuring the safety of all facilities in the estate is a responsibility we hold seriously," it wrote.

It added that following the incident, all basketball courts in the estate were immediately closed.

Independent professional engineers appointed by the town council's review committee inspected all sports structures, and structures that required replacement were reopened to the public only after they were endorsed as safe by a professional engineer.

It was previously reported that the guardians of the victim had reached a settlement with the town council and EM Services, the managing agent overseeing the project.

"We continue to work with our Managing Agent EM Services, to enhance internal oversight and compliance with safety standards," the town council said in its Facebook post.

"Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of the late Mohd Ridwan, and we express our deepest sympathies to them once again. ​

We will remain in close contact and continue to provide assistance to the family of the late Mohd Ridwan who remains our priority."