Good news - the 3 Singaporean volunteers in the Philippines at the Haiyan ravaged province are found and safe after 3 days of anxious no communication!
"He would have killed everyone - The New Paper Nov 11, 2013
He had stabbed a man to death in public, but felt no remorse. After all, the Taoist deity Jade Emperor he "consulted" had given him the go-ahead, Fang Gao San told a psychiatrist after his arrest.
In fact, if he had a gun, he would have killed everyone at the Singapore Pools headquarters because they were all cheats, Fang, who has a history of schizophrenia, said. And he would kill again if he got permission from the Jade Emperor a second time.
These were just some of the chilling details that emerged in court yesterday as Fang pleaded guilty to killing a part-time Toto announcer outside the Singapore Pools HQ at PoMo on Selegie Road in 2010.
Justice Woo Bih Li sentenced the 56-year-old to life imprisonment for culpable homicide.
Fang, who suffered from persecutory delusions because he often refused to take his medicine for his paranoid schizophrenia, claimed he won the fourth prize in a Singapore Pools Toto draw some time in 2010.
But he was unhappy because he received only $479 since there were more than 900 winners for the same prize.
However, it later emerged that Singapore Pools did not have any records of Fang winning any prizes in 2010.
And that with his severe mental illness, there was a high risk of violence against other people if he were left alone.
During his sentencing submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Woon Kwong said it is "chilling" to think of the danger that Fang poses to the public, and that it was in the public's interest that he be "incarcerated for life to prevent any further harm from arising at the accused's hands"."
A sad sad situation.
Lessons for me are:
1. if he HAD a GUN, he could have killed MANY MORE. This is a stark reminder WHY Singapore must never allowed 'gun' to be a hobby like in the USA;
2. in China we read about some mentally disturbed folks killing schoold kids at school with knives. Some had killed more than one even just with a knief. There seems to be a lot of stressed and mentally unstable folks around, albeit a very negligible % of the total population, that have violent tendency in China. What about Singapore? It is reasonable to assume that we have our share of 'stressful people' though not to the stage of harbouring thoughts of killing someone. What should we do with such a 'deadly tragedy' waiting to happen?
Do we make sure that the IMH and other psychiatrists report patients who REGULARLY do not follow instruction for the administration of their medicines? Is it fair to assume that all such patients are potentially dangerous and hence must be given no room for 'maybe it is alright'?;
3. from my perspective, there is a need to be clearly distinguish between those who had some emotional issues from those who are mentally dependent on medication to control or moderate their moods. Those who are medicine-dependent must be closely monitored and stricter rules be applied to them - for their own good as well as others. Those who are getting consuelling and therapy are NOT to be classified in the same categories. Increasely seeking a head-shrinker, as the USA called their psychologists, is OK as many people has stress issues among other psychological issues than do not need medication to fix.
A sad tragedy. Hopefully it will never be repeated.
In fact, if he had a gun, he would have killed everyone at the Singapore Pools headquarters because they were all cheats, Fang, who has a history of schizophrenia, said. And he would kill again if he got permission from the Jade Emperor a second time.
These were just some of the chilling details that emerged in court yesterday as Fang pleaded guilty to killing a part-time Toto announcer outside the Singapore Pools HQ at PoMo on Selegie Road in 2010.
Justice Woo Bih Li sentenced the 56-year-old to life imprisonment for culpable homicide.
Fang, who suffered from persecutory delusions because he often refused to take his medicine for his paranoid schizophrenia, claimed he won the fourth prize in a Singapore Pools Toto draw some time in 2010.
But he was unhappy because he received only $479 since there were more than 900 winners for the same prize.
However, it later emerged that Singapore Pools did not have any records of Fang winning any prizes in 2010.
And that with his severe mental illness, there was a high risk of violence against other people if he were left alone.
During his sentencing submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Woon Kwong said it is "chilling" to think of the danger that Fang poses to the public, and that it was in the public's interest that he be "incarcerated for life to prevent any further harm from arising at the accused's hands"."
A sad sad situation.
Lessons for me are:
1. if he HAD a GUN, he could have killed MANY MORE. This is a stark reminder WHY Singapore must never allowed 'gun' to be a hobby like in the USA;
2. in China we read about some mentally disturbed folks killing schoold kids at school with knives. Some had killed more than one even just with a knief. There seems to be a lot of stressed and mentally unstable folks around, albeit a very negligible % of the total population, that have violent tendency in China. What about Singapore? It is reasonable to assume that we have our share of 'stressful people' though not to the stage of harbouring thoughts of killing someone. What should we do with such a 'deadly tragedy' waiting to happen?
Do we make sure that the IMH and other psychiatrists report patients who REGULARLY do not follow instruction for the administration of their medicines? Is it fair to assume that all such patients are potentially dangerous and hence must be given no room for 'maybe it is alright'?;
3. from my perspective, there is a need to be clearly distinguish between those who had some emotional issues from those who are mentally dependent on medication to control or moderate their moods. Those who are medicine-dependent must be closely monitored and stricter rules be applied to them - for their own good as well as others. Those who are getting consuelling and therapy are NOT to be classified in the same categories. Increasely seeking a head-shrinker, as the USA called their psychologists, is OK as many people has stress issues among other psychological issues than do not need medication to fix.
A sad tragedy. Hopefully it will never be repeated.
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