The River Valley High School case sent shockwaves across Singapore and the world, in what was truly a gruesome incident to take place within a school’s premises.
A 16-year-old teenager allegedly killed a 13-year-old boy in the school bathroom with an axe. What’s even more concerning is that either child did not know each other and belonged to different classes altogether. The accused teenager was taken into custody on the same day as the incident in school and has been there since.
A little over a month since the incident, the Singapore Police has been granted an extension to the remand of the accused teenager. The boy has been charged with the murder of the Secondary 1 student.
On July 19, police found the victim lying motionless at the level-four toilet of the school with multiple wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene while an axe was seized as evidence.
Remanded Extended For An Additional 7 Days
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In the latest development of the case, the 16-year-old accused will stay in remand for an additional seven days at Police Cantonment Complex, the police prosecutor said in court on August 24. He further added that arrangements were being made for the accused to speak to his parents.
The police prosecutor also confirmed that the teenager’s psychiatric evaluation was complete.
Since taking the accused teenager into custody on July 20, the boy has had a change of representation with defence lawyer Sunil Sudheesan taking over the case from Peter Fernando.
At the hearing, Sudheesan said that he would be seeing his client soon. The lawyer and the accused appeared in court via video link in the wake of the pandemic.
On August 13, the court also reportedly allowed the accused to make a video call with his parents, the Attorney-General’s Chambers confirmed.
Timeline Of The River Valley High School Death Case So Far
Police arrested the boy from the school on July 19, and he was in custody till August 10. The police prosecutor then requested the court for an additional two weeks of remand to complete a psychological assessment and a forensic assessment pending further investigations by doctors from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
Further investigation revealed that the teenager had already been a patient at IMH, and even attempted suicide two years ago at the age of 14.
Officials had previously revealed that the boy purchased the axe online.
The Singapore law mandates protecting the identity of the accused 16-year-old by a gag order since he is a minor himself. The boy though faces one charge of causing the death of a 13-year-old.
The accused will appear in court again on August 31.
Capital Punishment For The River Valley High School Death Case Accused?
As per Singapore law, the highest penalty for murder includes death. However, under Section 314 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a death sentence cannot be passed or recorded against an accused person who was below 18 years of age at the time of the crime.
Considering this provision, the court could sentence the teenager to life imprisonment instead.
What Happened During The RVHS Incident?
The incidents of the case and the boy’s mental health history points out a larger issue of depression and anxiety related to the accused. However, it needs to be seen how the same will affect the case when it comes to conviction.
Meanwhile, here’s a timeline of what happened on the fateful day of July 19 at the River Valley High School:
July 19, 11.35 am
- A group of students encounter a Sec 4 student outside the toilet. He’s seen with an axe towards the end of the lunch break.
- They return to their classroom and inform their teacher.
- The Sec 4 student, standing with the axe, asks another group of students in the classroom next to the toilet to call the police.
- The students then follow the ‘Run-Hide-Tell’ emergency lockdown drill. They go inside their classroom, lock the doors and call their form teachers for help.
- A teacher soon arrives at the scene and asks the Secondary 4 student to put down the axe. The student agrees and is taken away to the meeting room.
- Other teachers call the police and check the toilet.
- About 10 minutes later, the police arrive and take the 16-year-old Sec 4 student into custody.
- The police officers and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedics find a 13-year-old Sec 1 student in the toilet.
- The boy is lying is motionless and with multiple wounds. The paramedics pronounce him dead on the spot.
- The principal breaks the news to the rest of the staff once the situation is under control.
- The staff speak to the students and inform them about the incident. They tell them to contact their parents and inform them that they are safe.
3.15 pm
- The school starts sending the students home. Teachers are present at the school gates to speak to parents as well as the students.
- The school informs parents about the death of a student on campus.
- They urge parents to monitor the well-being of their respective children.
July 20
The court charges the 16-year-old accused with murder. He has been in custody since.
Helpline Numbers For Mental Health Concerns
If you or anyone you know is feeling depressive or simply want to talk to someone without any judgement, here are some helpline numbers to reach out to:
- National Care Hotline: 1800 202 6868
- Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline: 6389 2222
- Samaritans of Singapore: 1800 221 4444
- Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800 283 7019
- Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386 1928 / 6509 0271
- Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800 353 5800
News source: CNA
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