Singaporean spared the gallows, jailed 16 years instead for drug possession

PUTRAJAYA - A Singaporean was spared the gallows after the Court of Appeal set aside his conviction on two counts of trafficking in 4,026.73 grammes of methamphetamine and 243 grammes of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).

Tan Khee Sen, 62, was, however, convicted of possession of the drugs and was sentenced to 16 years’ and 15 years’ imprisonment respectively, with the sentences to run concurrently from the date of his arrest on Sept 16, 2016. This means Tan will have to serve only 16 years in jail.

Tan, a coffee shop worker, was also spared the whipping prescribed for the offence as the law exempted males aged above 50 years from being whipped.

A three-member panel of judges comprising Justices Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said, Datuk Nordin Hassan and Datuk Hashim Hamzah set aside Tan's conviction for the drug trafficking offences and instead convicted him of possessing the drugs.

Justice Hashim, who delivered the court's decision, said the High Court judge had misdirected herself by not stating whether Tan was in actual or presumed possession of the drug when she ordered him to enter his defence for the drug trafficking offences.

He said Tan's conviction for trafficking in the drugs was not safe. However, he said there was sufficient evidence for possession of the drugs.

Tan was found guilty on the two counts of trafficking in the drugs by the Johor Bahru High Court on June 17, 2020, and he was sentenced to death.

According to the charge sheet, Tan allegedly committed the offences at an apartment in Pangsapuri Mayland Austin in Jalan Mutiara Emas, Taman Mount Austin, Johor Bahru, Johor at 12.45 pm on Sept 15, 2016.

Court-assigned counsel Muhammad Abd Kadir had asked the court to impose a light sentence, saying that Tan had been in prison since his arrest and had no other criminal convictions.

Deputy public prosecutor Wong Poi Yoke said looking at the trend of sentencing for such offences, the jail sentences imposed on offenders were between 18 years and 20 years. - BERNAMA