He had difficulty finding everlasting employment on account of health problems and was “searching for someone accountable,” so he decided accountable the federal government, the prosecutor’s office said.
On July 8, 2022, Kong was at home browsing the web on his cellular phone.
The article was published by CNA on its Facebook page, together with a caption stating that the person likely shot Abe.
Kong left a comment on the Facebook post during which he wrote: “Please someone do the identical to our Prime Minister.”
Will Singapore’s law requiring serious criminals to be held beyond their prison sentences violate rights?
Will Singapore’s law requiring serious criminals to be held beyond their prison sentences violate rights?
Another Facebook user replied to him and asked if this constituted a threat to Lee.
Police soon received a report from an anonymous one that stated that somebody had threatened “our Prime Minister” and expressed hope that motion could be taken. The person stated that they were “undecided if this can be a troll.”
Kong was arrested the identical day.
The investigation revealed that he had posted other comments about Lee online.
After commenting on CNA’s Facebook page, Kong saw the prime minister’s post.
Lee posted a photograph of himself with Abe on his website, expressing shock on the shooting and condemning the “senseless act of violence.”
Kong left a comment in Mandarin that was translated in court documents as follows: “If you might be on the best path, you might be afraid that folks are conspiring against you, but they should not.”
Kong later said that with this comment he was trying to specific his view that Prime Minister Lee “was not a very good man” and due to this fact “other people would conspire against him.”
Kong made one other comment on a Yahoo Singapore Facebook post regarding Abe’s death after the shooting.
He wrote that “your good friend LHL will likely be joining you.”
About a month earlier, Kong responded to an Instagram post featuring a Tamagotchi toy during which he asked users to comment on what it was, giving “only incorrect answers.”
Kong replied that the Tamagotchi was “the one weapon against”. [Singapore] IN THE AFTERNOON”.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Delicia Tan sought a sentence of 4 and a half to 6 months in prison for Kong.
Both sides referred to the 2013 Gary Yue case, where the reference point was three months in prison for inciting violence.
Tan demanded the next prison sentence in comparison with Yue, who received two months in prison.
She said using the Internet and social media has turn out to be more common in comparison with a decade ago, and Yue’s case is outdated.
A deterrent judgment must be handed down within the Congo case, sending a message that using social media to incite violence against others won’t be tolerated, Tan added.
Attack on Japan’s Kishida shows ‘no lessons learned from Abe’s murder’
Attack on Japan’s Kishida shows ‘no lessons learned from Abe’s murder’
Kong also clearly targeted the chief minister and senior members of the federal government must be vaccinated against such threats, Tan said, adding that Kong committed the crime “continues.”
Defense lawyer Rajoo Ravindran from Kertar & Sandhu asked the court to contemplate a two-month prison sentence.
Comparing the case with the Yue case, Rajoo said the Yue case was against a bigger group of those who also included heads of presidency and state.
The degree of potential harm was due to this fact much higher in Yue’s case than in Kong’s, the lawyer said.
He added that Kong is a first-time offender who has fully cooperated with police and is remorseful.
He also asked for advisory help.
“Kong’s elderly father, who is in his 80s, is also in court today and the family will provide Kong with the necessary support following his imprisonment and promise this honorable court that he will remain on the right side of the law,” he said. Rajoo.
In response, the prosecutor said that in one other case cited, the threat was to beat people while Kong called for Lee’s murder, which was “more serious.”
District Judge Kamala Ponnampalam told Kong during sentencing that he will need to have known by now that his crime was very serious.
“This is a serious offense punishable by imprisonment. Not good. The punishment would be inappropriate,” she said.
She noted that Kong’s comments were sustained, not just isolated ones. They were aimed at the head of state and contained a specific threat of assassination, not just beating.
“The use of social media platforms to incite violence must be dealt with more forcefully today,” the judge said.
“The purpose of such a sentence is to deter like-minded criminals.”
For inciting violence, Kong might have been sentenced to as much as five years in prison, a high-quality or each.
