At this point, you’re probably aware of the public indignation surrounding the punishment meted out to that NUS student who mistreated a woman.
Reader: Which one? The one who filmed a woman showering?
Uh, no not that one.
Reader: The one who molested a woman on the MRT?
No it’s- wow, there are quite a few of them, aren’t there? It’s the one who strangled his ex-girlfriend.
Reader: Oh yes. That was a bad one too.
For those who don’t know, here’s a brief summary of what happened:
- 23-year-old Yin Zi Qin was dumped by his girlfriend of almost two years in May 2019
- He couldn’t accept it, so he climbed into her bedroom window and begged for her to reconsider
- The victim declined, so he banged his own head against the wall before strangling the victim
- She screamed and struggled, which prompted him to press his thumb against her eye, causing it to bleed
- The victim passed out and subsequently regained consciousness on the floor. She was later taken to hospital with blurred vision
While he could have gotten two years in jail for his crime, Yin ended up with a detention order for 12 days, a day reporting order for five months with counselling, as well as an order to fulfil 80 hours of community service.
(This means that Yin will not have a criminal record if the sentence is successfully completed).
This, understandably, angered a lot of people, who felt that the punishment wasn’t commensurate with the offence.
Even the PAP’s Women’s Wing said they were “dismayed” by the “disproportionate” sentence.
Netizens who want justice for the victim might not get it, though.
AGC Not Appealing NUS Dentistry Student Case, Here’s What That Means
In response to media queries, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) said on Tuesday (21 July) that it will not appeal the case involving Yin.
This doesn’t sound good, but what exactly does this mean? Before we get to that, it’s important to understand what the AGC actually does.
The AGC has three fundamental roles:
- to provide legal advice to the Government in both domestic and international law
- to draft written laws
- to be a Public Prosecutor, which gives them control and direction of prosecutions for criminal offences
Under Article 35(8) of the Constitution, the Attorney-General has powers to institute, conduct, or discontinue any proceedings for any offence.
Yes, discontinue.
According to Singapore Legal Advice, a prosecutor of the AGC can decide to alter the charge or even drop charges completely before judgment is given by a court.
If the court has already handed out a sentence, like it did in Yin’s case, the AGC can choose to appeal against an acquittal or appeal for a higher sentence.
So, the fact that the AGC has chosen not to appeal Yin’s sentence means that it is very unlikely that his probation will be overturned and be compounded.