An 80-year-old man who fatally stabbed a debtor in 1990 and evaded justice for over three decades by fleeing to Malaysia has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in Singapore.
Ng Kwang Keng pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a weapon to Mr Lim Kim Leng, 27. The offence occurred in November 1990 when Ng, then 45 and an illegal moneylender, went to collect a debt of about S$22,000 from Mr Lim.
An argument at the void deck of Mr Lim’s housing block escalated into a fight, during which Ng stabbed the victim in the upper thigh. Mr Lim was hospitalised in a coma with multiple stab wounds and died from complications a month later due to organ failure from blood loss.
Immediately after the attack, Ng fled to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where he remained for more than 30 years. His flight ended when Malaysian authorities detained him for an immigration offence. After verifying his identity—a process that required specialist fingerprint analysis due to his long absence—Ng was deported to Singapore and arrested in December 2023.
In sentencing, the court considered submissions from both sides. The prosecution had sought six-and-a-half to eight years’ jail, noting the severity of the offence. The defence, highlighting Ng’s advanced age and multiple medical conditions including chronic pain and skin ailments, argued for a sentence of no more than five years.
District Judge Victor Yeo ultimately imposed a six-year term, backdated to his arrest date. While the original offence could have drawn life imprisonment, the guilty plea to a downgraded charge and the unique circumstances—including the 33-year delay and Ng’s remand in Malaysia—informed the final sentence. The court also noted that caning, part of the prosecution’s initial request, was legally impermissible as Ng is over 50.
The case closes a chapter on a crime that remained unresolved for generations, underscoring the long arm of the law even after decades of evasion.
