River Valley High School killing: Teen appealing against 16-year jail sentence

SINGAPORE — The teen who used a combat axe to kill his 13-year-old schoolmate in 2021 is appealing against his sentence.

The assailant — who cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act as his crime was committed when he was 16 — was initially handed a murder charge, but it was later reduced to a charge of culpable homicide.

He pleaded guilty to the charge in December 2023 and was sentenced to 16 years' jail.

During the appeal on July 1, the teen's lawyer, Sunil Sudheesan, told the court that the sentence was crushing.

He said the teen had previously been in the "depths of depression" when he formed the irrational plan, and thus his culpability needed to be calibrated in that context.

Sudheesan said that while the teen had control over his physical acts and knew that what he was doing was wrong at the time, his mental illness was what had caused him to come up with the irrational plan.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, the teen, who is now 19, remained expressionless in the dock as the court heard the appeal.

The then 16-year-old, who was a student at River Valley High School, had bought several weapons, including a combat axe, between March and April 2021.

He was suffering from depression, and had hatched a plan to slash people in the school so that the police would shoot him to death.

At about 11.15am on July 19, 2021, he left his classroom and waited in the toilet, armed with the axe, and repeatedly slashed the victim, Ethan Hun. Although they were schoolmates, the two did not know each other.

There was previously a gag order on the name of the victim, but this was lifted by the High Court at the request of Ethan's parents.

The parents had also forgiven the assailant, and said that even though they were heartbroken, they wanted everyone to remember Ethan for his goodness, kind heart and peace-loving nature.

During the appeal on July 1, Sudheesan said the teen's irrational plan was also informed by snuff videos, which are videos showing actual scenes of human death, which the teen had watched.

Following the incident, however, the teen fully recovered from his depression, which has been in remission since September 2022, the lawyer added.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Andre Chong argued that there was significant responsibility on the teen's end, having made the decision to watch snuff videos when his rationality was not affected.

The DPP said that had he not consumed these videos, he would not have formed such ideas of suicide.

He added that the teen knew he was depressed, had refused to seek help, and should have known to have been on guard against such material.

In response, Sudheesan said: "Depression is not like a tap, you can't turn it on, you can't turn it off."

He added that depression can cripple even the best of people, and that in the case of the teen, he coped with it poorly.

The case was adjourned pending the decision by the judges.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.