SINGAPORE: MAN SPARED DEATH PENALTY DUE TO MENTAL ILLNESS

November 8, 2010: a bus driver who had been sentenced to hang for killing his step-daughter was spared the death penalty.
The Court of Appeal took into account Ong Pang Siew's family history of mental illness as well as his own mental state.
It found that although the 46 year old did have the intention to kill or cause injuries, it found he qualified for the defence of diminished responsibility.
Ong had killed 15-year-old Ong Pan Hui at her Marsiling Drive flat on October 20, 2007, a few weeks after her mother was granted a divorce from him.
Ong was convicted of culpable homicide instead and would be re-sentenced at a later date. (Sources: Channel NewsAsia, 08/11/2010)