Orchard Towers murder case: Natalie Siow faces 2 new charges
SINGAPORE — A woman initially accused of murdering a man after a fight at Orchard Towers but later had her charge reduced to causing hurt returned to the State Courts on Friday (18 October) to receive two additional charges.
Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 23, is accused of behaving in a disorderly manner in public, by repeatedly dashing towards a group of patrons who were at the main entrance of the Naughty Girl Club on the second floor of Orchard Towers in a bid to kick and push them between 6.21am and 6.24am on 2 July.
She is also accused of consorting with Tan Sen Yang, 28, at the nightclub at about 5.45am the same day, knowing that he had in his possession a foldable curved knife.
District Judge Christopher Goh increased Siow’s bail amount of $15,000 to $20,000. As part of her bail conditions, she will have to abide by a curfew between 10pm and 7am, be electronically tagged, and cannot contact the co-accused persons in the case.
Siow’s case will be mentioned again on 29 November.
About the case
Siow was arrested along with seven men in the aftermath of altercation at Orchard Towers in the early hours of 2 July. Siow and six of the men were later charged with the murder of Satheesh Noel Gobidass, who was 31.
Subsequently, three of the men had their capital charges replaced with consorting with Tan Sen Yang, knowing that he had in his possession a foldable curved knife.
Last Friday, Siow had her murder charge reduced to causing hurt. She allegedly punched and kicked Satheesh at the ground floor of Orchard Towers at about 6.25am on 2 July, together with Tan Sen Yang, Joel Tan Yun Sheng, 26, and Ang Da Yuan, 26.
The punishment for consorting with a person who possesses an offensive weapon is the same as that for the person who carries the weapon: up to three years’ jail with at least six strokes of the cane. Only male offenders below 50 can be caned.
For causing hurt, the maximum penalty is up to two years’ jail along with a fine of up to $5,000.
The maximum punishment for behaving in a disorderly manner in public is a fine of up to $2,000 and up to six months’ jail, for a first offence. Repeat offenders face a fine of up to $5,000 and up to one year in jail.
Altercation footage viewed widely
The altercation was captured by cameras and widely viewed online.
Video footage showed Satheesh fighting with some individuals before stumbling to the building's entrance and collapsing there. He was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital but died at about 7.25am.
The trio facing the consorting charges are Tan Hong Sheng, 22, Chan Jia Xing, 26, and Loo Boon Chong, 25.
The remaining three men who still face murder charges are Tan Sen Yang, Joel Tan Yun Sheng and Ang Da Yuan. They face the death penalty, if convicted.
Related stories:
Orchard Towers murder case: Natalie Siow faces reduced charge of causing hurt
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Orchard Towers assault: 7 charged with murder of 31-year-old man
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