When a Dad Turns to a Knife Instead of a Bucket List
Imagine walking into a cozy coffee shop in Singapore’s bustling Central Business District, looking forward to a sunny lunch break. Instead, an old shipping magnate walks in with a big, scary question: “I’ve got to end this.” The 72‑year‑old Tan Nam Seng then pulls out a knife and turns the holiday into a knife‑fighting nightmare.
The Plot Behind the Tragedy
- Three daughters had built a family empire: TNS Shipping (1974) → TNS Ocean Lines. All were in the family’s business until a son‑in‑law stepped onto the scene.
- Spencer Tuppani, the 39‑year‑old, married the eldest daughter Shyller Tan in 2005. He later became a director, then CEO when the company was sold in 2016.
- Later that year, Shyller discovered Spencer’s affair and the birth of two kids from that relationship. His marriage dissolved, and he allegedly began filming arguments to future‑proof his alimony claims.
- On July 4, 2017, Spence’s young assistant’s antics caused his younger daughter, Sherry, to be suspended. Tan feared this would be the prelude to someone ridding the family of its business in the gun‑point style.
The Day the Knife Rolled Out
Just one day later, on July 10, Tan spied Spence eating at a Telok Ayer café. Growing up from a ship‑yard to a coffee‑shop showdown, Tan simply walked in, bribed a knife-marvel from his office pantry, and stabbed him three times in the chest. It wasn’t a horror movie; it was a too‑intense family drama.
After Spence fell over in Boon Tat Street, the older man calmly placed blood‑drenching knife on the table and settled in a chair like a man who’d just finished a book club meeting.
Phone Over the Phone
Before the police dragged him into the courthouse, Tan called his wife Shyller, whispering about his deed. “I can’t sleep at night. I killed him. Don’t cry. I’m old. Jail’s a joke,” he told her. It’s like calling your mom “No, not the bat signal” after a nocturnal crisis.
How the Court Heard It
The video tape from CCTV revealed the entire scene: appalling knife slashes, a flailing and stammering Spence, and Tan lodging the knife while grinning like a misguided Old Spice campaigner.
Tan’s defense argues a major depressive disorder, a “dysphoric state” that skews judgment, reduced the charge from murder to “culpable homicide.”
Sentencing
Since he’s over 50, Tan can’t receive a caning fine. The maximum possible sentence is lifelong imprisonment—a grim reality for a man who’d rather fight his thoughts over his inkings.
In short, the old shipping boss gave us a warning: corporate ambitions can war out of WhatsApp chats, love triangles, and a big, taste‑testing knife—all while a system that hasn’t forgiven everyone equally lives on. The story also shows that even the same old (or younger) people can turn around a drama with just a silent, silent‑critical gesture of a single blade.
