36 year-old Iskandar Rahmat, a disgraced former police officer who fell into debt and faced expulsion from the Singapore Police Force, was sentenced to death by hanging on Friday by the High Court after he was convicted of both charges of murdering a father and son in their Kovan home.
On 10th July 2013, Iskandar had gone to the home of Mr Tan Boon Sin, 67, a car workshop owner, in an attempt to rob him of his valuables. In a previous burglary investigation, Iskandar had come to know about a safe that Mr Tan had kept in his home and planned to rob the money to pay off his mounting debts. During the robbery, Mr Tan and his son, Chee Heong, 42, were killed by a knife wielding Iskandar at their Hillside Drive home on 10th July 2013.
Iskandar's defense lawyer said that his client would appeal the sentence.
In delivering his judgement, High Court Judge Tay Yong Kwang declared that Iskandar had attacked his victims "cruelly and relentlessly with the clear intention of causing death". Justice Tay also found that Iskandar intended to kill the older Mr Tan as part of his plan and found that Iskandar had brought a knife along. Iskandar had claimed that his original intention was to grab the money and run out to the main road to hail a taxi, but Justice Tay declare his statement to be unbelievable.
As for the younger Mr Tan, the judge said that Iskandar had decided to kill him there and then as "collateral damage" after the younger Tan chanced upon Iskandar's murder.
Pointing to the multiple knife wounds suffered by both men - mostly in the vital areas of the head, neck and chest - it was obvious that Iskandar had intended to kill both men to silence them.
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