After 27 years on the run, the law caught up with him
TODAY Nov 29, 2011
SINGAPORE - Over the past two decades, Lee Hong Mun involved himself in charitable acts, such as providing free haircuts and spiritual advice through his dual trade as a barber and a medium.
The law, however, caught up with the 57-year-old, who had been on the run for the past 27 years over a fatal slashing incident.
In the High Court yesterday, Lee was convicted and jailed seven years for manslaughter.
The incident took place in November 1983, when Lee and his childhood friend, Chan Whye Keong, fought with stall assistant Ng Tian Soo over a mahjong debt.
Court papers showed that Mr Ng had owed money belonging to one of Chan's friends and that Lee was roped in to help to recover the debt. Lee had used a kitchen knife to slash Mr Ng, who was then 37 years old, several times, while Chan used his belt to strike the victim.
Chan was subsequently arrested and jailed for seven years but Lee fled to Hong Kong that same year.
Lee returned to Singapore from Malaysia five years later by hiding in a car boot.
However, he did not turn himself in to the authorities and continued to live his life normally - operating his King George's Avenue hair salon and raising two sons.
It was only in April last year that the police eventually arrested Lee during a routine check at a betting outlet.
In the High Court yesterday, defence lawyer Josephus Tan argued in mitigation that, although Lee was armed with a knife at that time, it was for self-defence. He also pointed out that Lee had no criminal record and "led a useful and opened life".
Justice Lee Seiu Kin, who presided over the case, acknowledged that Lee lived his life productively but agreed with prosecutors that he should be jailed not less than seven years. "A life was lost ... (and) society must exact penalty," he said.
This show how “efficient” the Singapore Police Force is.
A man committed a serous offence can hide in tiny Singapore for 22 years and live a normal live. In out custom did a good job by allowing him to enter Singapore in a car boot.
In fact this guy is just unlucky that he was being caught during a routine check which imply the police is not actively look for him, in fact I think they stop looking for him 27 years ago.
Meanwhile they probably are using their man power to do this and this.
