A warrant of arrest has been issued against a man allegedly linked to the Orchard Towers murder after he failed to turn up in court on Thursday (Aug 29).
Tan Hong Sheng, 22, was one of seven people originally charged with the murder of Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass, 31, who died following a brawl on July 2 this year.
Tan and two others involved in the Orchard Towers murder had their charges reduced on Thursday (July 11). Loo Boon Chong, 25, Chan Jia Xing, 26, and Tan Hong Sheng, 22 out of the seven accused were granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal on the charge of murder.
The six others involved in the case are: Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 22; Loo Boon Chong, 25; Tan Sen Yang, 27; Joel Tan Yun Sheng, 26; Chan Jia Xing, 26; and Ang Da Yuan, 26.
Tan Hong Sheng, along with Loo and Chan, had his charges reclassified to that of consorting with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place.
All three of them were released on bail. Tan and Chan were each offered bail of S$25,000 while Loo’s bail was set at S$15,000.
Read related: Orchard Towers murder: Accused brought back to crime scene
According to court documents, they were in the company of Tan Sen Yang, who is said to have had a foldable “kerambit” knife in his possession at the Naughty Girl Club on the second storey of Orchard Towers at 5.46am on July 2.
The weapon is a curved knife resembling a claw.
Loo and Chan dutifully turned up in court on Thursday (August 29) and had their cases adjourned to Sept 12.
Tan Hong Sheng’s lawyer Josephus Tan from Invictus Law Corporation told District Judge Christopher Goh that his client’s mother had filed a police report three days ago.
The nature of the report was not mentioned in court but Tan Hong Sheng’s mother was given 48 hours to locate him.
The group allegedly killed 31-year old Satheesh Noel Gobidass.
On the day of the incident, the victim collapsed near an escalator in the building and was found lying motionless in a pool of blood. Members of the public attended to his injuries.
The police were alerted at 6.25am, when the victim was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital unconscious and pronounced dead an hour later.
Offenders convicted of murder will face the death penalty.
Those convicted of consorting with a person carrying an offensive weapon in a public place can be jailed for up to three years and receive at least six strokes of the cane.
Read related: Orchard Towers killing: Murder charges withdrawn for 3 out of the 7 accused