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Death of man who jumped from flat after stabbing his ex ruled a suicide

He was upset that his ex-girlfriend had made two police reports against him after their relationship soured over his money woes.

Tang Siong Beng, 40, decided to threaten the woman, identified only as N, with a knife and force his way into her flat. He injured N by stabbing her before he jumped to his death from a 16th storey flat in Bishan in October last year.

Tang’s death was ruled a suicide by State Coroner (SC) Marvin Bay on Monday (27 March) during a coroner’s inquiry.

The court heard that Tang entered into a relationship with N in August 2015. But the relationship soon worsened after Tang started borrowing money from her.

Tang borrowed a total of $500 from N in the early stage of their relationship. In December 2015, Tang told her that he had broken his employment contract and had to pay his company $5,000 in liquidated damages. He asked for an additional $2,000 loan from the woman, who lent it to him.

N decided to break off with Tang as the loans were causing a strain on their relationship. But Tang would not give up despite N telling him that the relationship was over.

Tang began stalking N by following her to her workplace and looking for her after work every day. Due to Tang’s actions, N lodged a police report against her ex-boyfriend.

Even when N was at home, Tang persisted in his stalking. He tried to film N while she was in her bedroom by taking a video from the window louvers of her rented room in Bishan, which prompted N to make a second police report.

On 12 October 2016, Tang confronted N at her flat when she was about to leave for work. Armed with a knife, he pushed his way into the flat, and locked the door and gate behind him. He warned N that if she continued to follow up on the police reports, they would die together.

While the altercation was taking place, the brother of N’s landlord returned. Tang then stabbed N’s upper body multiple times before jumping out from the kitchen window of the 16th storey flat.

N, who was injured from the stabbing, immediately called the police. Tang was found dead at the foot of the flat.

SC Bay said that there was “significant pre-meditation” as Tang had taken a knife to confront N.