1998 Bukit Merah stabbing

1998 case of a woman murdered by stabbing in Bukit Merah Ooi Ang Yen Ooi Ang Yen.png Ooi Ang Yen, the 43-year-old murder victim 1955 Colony of Singapore 11 August 1998 (aged 43) Queenstown, Singapore Knife wounds to the heart Murder victim Image Printers Pte Ltd Factory production worker Lim Ah Lek (former) 4 On 11 August 1998, 43-year-old Ooi Ang Yen (黄红燕 Ûiⁿ Âng-iàn), a divorced mother of four and a factory production worker, was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend at a carpark nearby her workplace in Bukit Merah, Singapore. Her 41-year-old boyfriend and married father of two, Chan Chim Yee (陈振义 Can4 Zan3 Ji6 Tân Chín-gī), was arrested 12 days later and charged with murder. According to court documents and media, Ooi wanted to leave Chan in favor of another man, and therefore, Chan went to the victim's workplace and attacked her with a knife. Although Chan raised two defences of an alibi and diminished responsibility, the trial court rejected his defences and therefore, Chan was found guilty of murdering Ooi and sentenced to death. Chan's appeal was dismissed and he was hanged on 15 September 2000.杀了心爱女友 自己也上绞台 41岁男子被判处死刑 Shin Min Daily zh 5 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19991105-1.2.6.8.1 Stabbing and death On the evening of 11 August 1998, at a carpark outside her workplace in Bukit Merah, a female factory worker was attacked by a knife-wielding man, who stabbed her several times on the arm, throat and chest before he fled the scene. The victim, identified as 43-year-old Ooi Ang Yen, was tended at the scene by her colleagues, 经理拿绷带 冲下楼救人 Shin Min Daily zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980812-1.2.5.1.2 and she was later pronounced dead 20 minutes after arriving at Alexandra Hospital.3段不了情女工乱刀死 Lianhe Wanbao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980812-1.2.3红山多层工厂一女子遭谋杀 Lianhe Zaobao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19980812-1.2.19.3 等她下班•要求谈判被拒 嫌凶突亮利刀 当众猛刺死者 Shin Min Daily zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980812-1.2.5.1.1 A 24-year-old male passer-by, who witnessed the perpetrator running past him with a knife in his hand, called the police. 目击者•案发时 嫌凶右手拿住凶器 匆忙从我身边跑过 Shin Min Daily zh 13 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980813-1.2.8.3.3 According to the forensic pathologist, Dr Paul Chui, who conducted an autopsy on the victim, he found at least two stab wounds on the chest of Ooi. These penetrated the heart, and the severity of the wounds were such that they were sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death.Public Prosecutor v Chan Chim Yee (1999), High Court (Singapore). 2刀刺心脏致命 Shin Min Daily zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980812-1.2.5.1.3 致命伤：心脏中2刀 Lianhe Wanbao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980812-1.2.9.1.5 Ooi was described as a good co-worker and a kind and compassionate person, and at one instance, Ooi even took care of an 80-year-old female stranger and let her stay in her home.当年在红山巴刹卖酿豆腐 死者阿燕心肠好曾收留80岁老人 Lianhe Wanbao zh 14 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980814-1.2.13.1.1 The fatal stabbing was witnessed by Ooi's colleagues, who all recognized the attacker as Ooi's former boyfriend, who was seen arriving an hour earlier at the workplace and approached Ooi while she was going home from work with them,案发前1小时嫌凶出现在工厂 Lianhe Wanbao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980812-1.2.9.1.6 and reportedly quarreled with Ooi over her new boyfriend before he allegedly stabbed her. Divorcee stabbed to death in front of colleagues https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19980813-1.2.7.2 The Straits Times 13 August 1998 First-hand information revealed that prior to the stabbing, Ooi was formerly married with four children when she first met her ex-boyfriend,与第一任丈夫生下4个孩子 Lianhe Wanbao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980812-1.2.9.1.3 a former seaman with whom she had a relationship after they travelled to China together, 男嫌凶是海员 Shin Min Daily zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980812-1.2.5.1.5 她为嫌凶离婚 两人同游中国 Shin Min Daily zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980812-1.2.5.1.4 and this affair was what resulted in the couple's divorce a year before the murder.为与嫌凶在一起不惜与丈夫离婚 Lianhe Wanbao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980812-1.2.9.1.2 Subsequently, just a couple of months ago, Ooi began a new relationship with a 40-year-old male colleague and as a result, her relationship with the ex-boyfriend deteriorated and it became fraught with constant quarrels; Ooi also requested to break up with the ex-boyfriend. 红山 情杀 三角情变 杀离婚妇 Shin Min Daily zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980812-1.2.2 几个月前向嫌凶提出分手 嫌凶因爱生恨 活活刺死离婚妇 Shin Min Daily zh 13 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980813-1.2.8.3.1 It was also revealed that the male colleague had been confronted and assaulted by the ex-boyfriend,工厂传新恋情 嫌凶曾以木棒殴死者新男友 Lianhe Wanbao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980812-1.2.9.1.1 and the colleague was forced to resign to avoid having another encounter with the ex-boyfriend and for fear of his safety.自觉生命受威胁新男友辞职不干 Lianhe Wanbao zh 12 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980812-1.2.9.1.4 见死者因受感情困扰才开导她 '我与死者只是好友 不是第三者' Shin Min Daily zh 13 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980813-1.2.8.3.4 Arrest and charges The police, having interviewed the witnesses of the stabbing, 3目击者 协助调查 Shin Min Daily zh 13 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980813-1.2.8.3.2 classified the case as murder and therefore considered Ooi's former boyfriend as the prime suspect, and conducted a nationwide manhunt for the suspect, who remained at large and went into hiding as of the time the police identified him.警方寻找红山命案嫌凶 Lianhe Zaobao zh 13 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19980813-1.2.9.2 The suspect's wife and their two children stated the suspect was not at home when the police went to his registered address. 嫌凶至今仍在潜逃 Shin Min Daily zh 13 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980813-1.2.8.3.5 12 days after the brutal killing, on 23 August 1998, following an informant's tip-off, the police managed to arrest Ooi Ang Yen's ex-boyfriend, who was spotted having a meal at a coffee shop in Toa Payoh. 女工被杀 警12天后闪电捉人 咖啡店用餐 男嫌凶落网 Shin Min Daily zh 27 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19980827-1.2.7.2.1 Subsequently, the next day, the 41-year-old suspect, Chan Chim Yee (alias Jimmy Chan), was charged with murder at a district court for stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death. Chan, who used to be a seaman, was working as a cleaner at the time he murdered Ooi.工厂女工遭残杀嫌犯落网已被控 Lianhe Wanbao zh 27 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19980827-1.2.15.2.1 The police were lauded for managing to solve the Ooi Ang Yen murder case and another murder case at Little India within a week.警方一星期破两谋杀案 Lianhe Zaobao zh 28 August 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19980828-1.2.14.21 Altogether, eight murders happened within a month from July to August 1998, and five of them (including the 1998 Tampines flat murder) were solved by the police within a short period of time.CRIMEWATCH: CHECK OUT HOW MANY HAVE BEEN SOLVED The New Paper 2 September 1998 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/newpaper19980902-1.2.10.2 Trial of Chan Chim Yee Prosecution's case On 25 October 1999, 41-year-old Chan Chim Yee officially stood trial at the High Court for one count of murdering Ooi Ang Yen in August 1998. Francis Xavier and Quek Bee Choo represented Chan during his trial, and Winston Cheng prosecuted Chan during the trial, which was presided over by Justice Kan Ting Chiu of the High Court.疑情海翻波 女工被刺死 前男友被控 Lianhe Wanbao zh 25 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19991025-1.2.7.2.1 Man on trial for fatal stabbing The Straits Times 26 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991026-1.2.37.8 During the trial, the court was told that Ooi first met Chan in 1995, when she went on a trip to China, and they became romantically involved despite their respective marriages, and they maintained their relationship even after they returned to Singapore; this affair ultimately led to Ooi's divorce in 1997.Mum changed after trip with lover, says son The Straits Times 29 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991029-1.2.60.5 Eventually, in 1998, Ooi met a colleague, Wong Hon Yee, and gradually, she began a relationship with Wong, and she had the intention to end her relationship with Chan, much to Chan's refusal.第二号情人常护送她回家 Shin Min Daily zh 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19991106-1.2.4.35.3 Chan would confront the couple on two occasions regarding their relationship, first in June 1998, when he went to Ooi's workplace during lunch time and asked her why she wanted to end things with him, and a second occasion in July 1998, when Chan confronted the couple while they were on the way for dinner, and Chan assaulted Wong during that confrontation.Man 'hit murder victim's lover' The Straits Times 28 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991028-1.2.50.18印刷厂女工被杀案 "护花使者"供称遭被告殴打 Lianhe Zaobao zh 28 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19991028-1.2.19.9目击证人作供：刺杀女友前 海员怒问死者 是否有新男友 Lianhe Wanbao zh 26 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19991026-1.2.24.1.1 Ultimately, this became the motive behind Chan's decision to commit the murder of his ex-girlfriend on 11 August 1998, after he went there to confront and stab Ooi to death.已婚妇陷入 复杂四角恋情 被情字所害•遭首号情人刺死 Shin Min Daily zh 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19991106-1.2.4.35.1 Ooi's two colleagues, Tay Ah Nai and Cheah Choy Keng, who both witnessed the murder, appeared in court as prosecution witnesses, and they both stated they recognised Chan as the perpetrator of the stabbing because they had seen him previously, when he came to Ooi's workplace to confront her about her relationship with Wong.Witness identifies accused as assailant The Straits Times 27 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991027-1.2.48.3 惹兰红山工厂底层谋杀案开审 女工目击男子用刀刺死同事 Lianhe Zaobao zh 26 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19991026-1.2.22.10证人供证：午餐时分 被告在饭桌上 对死者说情话 Lianhe Wanbao zh 27 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19991027-1.2.16.4.1 Wong himself also came to court to testify, and confirmed he dated Ooi during the final months prior to the murder.同事阿黄承认 曾是死者男友 Lianhe Wanbao zh 28 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19991028-1.2.7.9.1 Chan's supervisor Chua Cheng Kang and another co-worker, Adeline Tay Chay Kin, from his workplace, were also summoned to testify for the prosecution. They both told the court that on the date of the crime, Chan worked from 8 am to 5 pm, and clocked out of work after paging Adeline Tay, and he never reported for work after the killing. Adeline Tay said that she never came personally to the workplace to inform Chan to work overtime from 5 pm to 9 pm, unlike what the defence put forward while presenting Chan's alibi defence. Chan's 20-year-old son, Chan Yew Leong, the elder of Chan's two children (the second child was an 18-year-old daughter), testified that his father reached home at past 10 pm on the night of the murder, but he was absent from home from midnight onwards. Chan's defences When he was called to make his defence, Chan, who denied the murder charge, presented a two-tier defence to rebut the murder charge. The first tier of his defence was one of an alibi; Chan claimed that he was at work when the stabbing incident took place. He stated that at the time of the murder, he worked from 8 am to 5 pm, and even worked overtime from 5 pm to 9 pm. Chan's counsel called upon two security guards - Mahmood Osman and Vincent Wong Chun Keong - to testify on his behalf. Mahmood verified he saw Chan going to work as per usual from 8 am to 5 pm, but he was unable to confirm if he did see the defendant from 7 pm to 8 pm, while Vincent Wong said he cannot remember if he had seen Chan on that day itself. Chan himself claimed he only found out about Ooi's death through a newspaper a day after the stabbing.嫌凶辩称加班彻夜未回隔天见报才知女友被杀 Lianhe Zaobao zh 30 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19991030-1.2.16.8.1被控海员辩称 案发时间加班 Lianhe Wanbao zh 30 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19991030-1.2.23.1.1 Murder accused: I was at work The Straits Times 30 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991030-1.2.55.14 Chan's second tier of defence was diminished responsibility, which was a last resort made by Chan should his alibi defence was rejected and the judge found he was the one who killed Ooi. Chan's lawyers engaged Dr Douglas Kong, a consultant psychiatrist, to testify on Chan's behalf, and based on his psychiatric report, Dr Kong testified that Chan was suffering from paranoid personality disorder and also had borderline intelligence. Dr Kong said the Chan's low IQ made him less likely to be capable of coping with stress and control his temper, and the disorder itself was what caused Chan to be in a "dissociative fugue" state and a paranoid psychosis at the time of the stabbing. Dr Kong also explained that this was influenced by Chan's deteriorating relationship with Ooi and his emotions over this issue, and Chan's memory of the killing was distorted due to the emotional impact of Ooi's death on Chan.辩方精神科医生： 被告患'神游症' 案发时精神失常 Lianhe Wanbao zh 3 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19991103-1.2.17.5.1Accused says he was not mentally sound The Straits Times 4 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991104-1.2.57.13 In rebuttal, the prosecution's psychiatric expert, Dr Gwee Kok Peng, an associate consultant psychiatrist at Woodbridge Hospital, testified that Chan was mentally normal at the time of the murder, and he was not in a dissociative fugue state as Dr Kong diagnosed him to be. Dr Gwee also said that normally for a person in a dissociative fugue state, he or she would usually escape from a stressful situation and therefore tend to wander away from the place associated with the stressful situation, which was inconsistent with Chan's decision to confront Ooi and subsequently stab Ooi to death.主控官 辩方无法证明被告精神失常 Lianhe Zaobao zh 28 October 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19991105-1.2.18.15.1 Chan's testimony was reportedly described as a "pack of lies" due to him denying his involvement in the murder.The lies he said in the dock The New Paper 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/newpaper19991106-1.2.5.2首号情人——法庭上谎话连篇 Shin Min Daily zh 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19991106-1.2.4.35.2 Verdict On 5 November 1999, Justice Kan Ting Chiu delivered his verdict. In the verdict, Justice Kan found that Chan's first defence of an alibi was untenable, because he had been identified by the witnesses (mainly Ooi's colleagues) as the person stabbing Ooi to death, and the witnesses did not err in identifying Chan in spite of the defence's attempt to impeach their testimonies. Justice Kan also touched on the second defence of diminished responsibility, declaring that Chan had not proven that he suffered from an abnormality of the mind at the time of the murder, and Dr Kong's psychiatric report did not satisfactorily support his defence, given that Dr Gwee's diagnosis was more credible to provide a full assessment of Chan's state of mind at the time of the murder. Therefore, Justice Kan rejected both defences, and having found that Chan had intentionally stabbed 43-year-old Ooi Ang Yen, such that the injuries were sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, Justice Kan concluded that there were sufficient grounds to return with a guilty verdict of murder in Chan's case.Man who stabbed ex-lover to hang The Straits Times (Overseas) 13 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/stoverseas19991113-1.2.7.11 红山情杀案被告判死刑 Lianhe Zaobao zh 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb19991106-1.2.5 As such, 42-year-old Chan Chim Yee was found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death by hanging. Under Singaporean law, the death penalty was mandated as the sole punishment for murder upon an offender's conviction for such an offence.Man who stabbed ex-lover to hang The Straits Times 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991106-1.2.5.4 乱刀杀女友被告判死刑 Lianhe Wanbao zh 5 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb19991105-1.2.8.4.1 Chan was reportedly emotionless when the death sentence was pronounced in court.被告闻判 脸上没表情 Shin Min Daily zh 5 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin19991105-1.2.6.8.2 Ooi's ex-husband, Lim Ah Lek, with whom she had four children, was interviewed by a newspaper after the trial. He stated that the death of his ex-wife was unnecessary, and he agreed that Chan deserved the death sentence for murdering her,Untitled The Straits Times 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991106-1.2.5.6 whom Lim used to share a happy life with prior to her affair and their divorce in 1997. Lim also told the press that he and his family had long forgiven his ex-wife in spite of the affair she had with Chan.I forgave her, says ex-husband The Straits Times 6 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991106-1.2.5.5 Chan's appeal On 24 January 2000, Chan Chim Yee's appeal was heard before the Court of Appeal.https://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/Portals/0/Docs/Judgments/[2000]%20SGCA%206.pdf Chan Chim Yee v Public Prosecutor Singapore Law Watch 11 February 2000 On that day, after hearing arguments from the prosecutor Winston Cheng and the defence counsel of Chan, the Court of Appeal's three judges - Chao Hick Tin, Lai Kew Chai and L. P. Thean (Thean Lip Ping) - decided to reject Chan's appeal, because they found no error in the trial decision that deemed Chan guilty of murder. Like the original trial judge, the three judges stated that the alibi defence ought to be rejected due to the witnesses having correctly identified Chan as the killer, and the diminished responsibility defence based on Dr Kong's evidence was unsustainable in light of Dr Gwee's findings, which the judge correctly determined in his judgement.Chan Chim Yee v Public Prosecutor [2000] SGCA 6 https://www.elitigation.sg/gd/s/2000_SGCA_6 11 February 2000 Supreme Court Judgements案一 刺死女友男子难逃死刑 Lianhe Zaobao zh 25 January 2000 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb20000125-1.2.22.4.1 With the loss of his appeal, Chan remained on death row at Changi Prison, where he would be executed within a few months. 红山情杀案 被告判死刑 上诉遭驳回 Shin Min Daily zh 24 January 2000 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/shinmin20000124-1.2.6.17 In February 2000, the case of Ooi's murder was one of the ten most high-profile acts of violence against women in Singapore that happened during the past few years. MEN WHO ATTACKED WOMEN https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000224-1.2.88.3.1 The Straits Times 24 February 2000 本地2年来发生至少10起情杀案 Lianhe Wanbao zh 24 February 2000 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhwb20000224-1.2.12.6 Execution On 15 September 2000, eight months after losing his appeal, 43-year-old Chan Chim Yee was hanged in Changi Prison at dawn for murdering Ooi Ang Yen back in 1998.3名死囚樟宜监狱正法 Lianhe Zaobao zh 16 September 2000 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb20000916-1.2.16.5 On that same date, two other death row prisoners were reportedly put to death at the same prison; one of them was former fishmonger Lau Lee Peng, who was charged in 1998 with the violent killing of a fruit stall helper in the victim's Tampines flat.Tiga digantung di Penjara Changi Berita Harian Malay 16 September 2000 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian20000916-1.2.23.2 Lau was found guilty of using a chopper to hack the 50-year-old woman, Tan Eng Yan, to death and sentenced to hang in November 1999 (the same month when Chan received the death penalty),Man to hang for killing fruitseller The Straits Times 13 November 1999 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19991113-1.2.67.12 and Lau's appeal was dismissed in January 2000, eight months before his execution.https://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/Portals/0/Docs/Judgments/[2000]%20SGCA%2013.pdf Lau Lee Peng v Public Prosecutor Singapore Law Watch 11 March 2000案二 残杀水果摊女助手鱼贩死刑上诉失败 https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/lhzb20000125-1.2.22.4.2 Lianhe Zaobao zh 24 January 2000 See also Capital punishment in Singapore References Category:Stabbing attacks in 1998 Category:1998 murders in Singapore Category:August 1998 crimes Category:August 1998 in Asia Category:Singaporean murder victims Category:Singaporean people convicted of murder Category:Deaths by stabbing in Singapore Category:Capital punishment in Singapore Category:20th-century executions by Singapore Category:Female murder victims in Singapore Category:Violence against women in Singapore Category:Knife attacks in Singapore