Who Says a Crazy Day Can End in a Heart‑Wrenching Tragedy?
In the early hours of August 10, 2021, a 36‑year‑old woman in Geylang pulled a pair of scissors and carved a grim story into a 8‑year‑old girl’s life. The court later decided that the perpetrator was not guilty in the traditional sense — she was found to have been unsound mind at the time. The judge still moved a new sentence into place: indefinite confinement while her mental state is watched more closely than a rare Pokémon.
Salient Facts at a Glance
- Victim: Elder daughter, eight years old, 76 stab wounds, died at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
- Perpetrator: 36‑year‑old mother diagnosed with untreated schizophrenia. A gag order keeps her name hush‑hushed.
- Setting: Residential unit in Geylang, shared room with two daughters and other family.
- Outcome: Acquitted on mental incapacity, but ordered to be placed in safe custody – possibly a psychiatric institution, prison, or another suitable facility.
- Future Review: Regular mental‑state assessments before any possible release.
Tricky Minds, Tragic Outcomes
It was the same mother who once blamed her phone and laptop for being hacked. “They’re going to hurt me!” she’d whisper to the cupboards, ignoring a grocery list that even her intern self‑help books wouldn’t dare cover. Her two daughters were part of a small family orbit, all sharing one bedroom and a surprising amount of drama.
By March 2021, hearing voices had become her new reality. They kept her up at night, delivered messages that her food and water were poisoned, and demanded that she must attack her own family. In the days leading up to the fatal incident, cameras caught her hopping between MRT stations like a student trying to find the best Wi‑Fi spot. “Why should anyone get rid of my electronic gadgets and cause trouble for me? We do not have that kind of relaxed bees!” she waded, still hearing those alarming whispers (- no, it is not a mistake, it’s her brain telling her to act).
The Day it All Went South
On the morning of the 10th, the mother was in her room, the younger daughter had gone to play with her grandparents in a coffee shop, and the older girl was growing restless among her toys. When the brother opened the door, his eyes widened at the shocking scene: the eldest girl sprawled motionless on the floor, the mother standing next to her – completely naked, clutching a pair of scissors. He tried to “panic” – tossing a blood‑stained knife toward the kitchen and grabbing the younger daughter desperate to harbor cement. The police later stepped in, the mother retreated into a chaotic blur of confusion, and her brother’s wife called the authorities over a desperate: “We need help now!”
What the Law Says About “Unsound Mind” Cases
Under the Criminal Procedure Code, in cases where an accused is found mentally incapacity the court must keep them under safe custody. If a mind crisis has left a person with the mental freedom to do a “violation”, the authorities must step in and notify the minister. The minister can decide that the place for confinement will be a psychiatric institution, or a prison, or a place that matches the President’s judgment.
Looking Forward and Saying a Prayer
Ms. Choo Yean Lin, the defense lawyer, kept her fingers firmly rested on a hopeful hand. “I want my client to get sign rapidly and go back to her parents”, she said. The holy expects the mother to recover so she can reunite with her younger daughter, yet we are left with a lingering grief that the same mother didn’t have the chance to help a future family member or calm herself before suffering the way her own story twisted.
