Recently, Tan Lee Hoon was found guilty of abusing her two foreign domestic workers and sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment. Her defence lawyers tried to argue that she did not deserve to go to jail and should have received a fine instead. In support of their arguments, they apparently submitted character references
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHARACTER
Generally, character evidence is not terribly useful at this stage. A person of generally good character may commit a crime on occasion, and a person of generally bad character is not necessarily always guilty of a particular crime. For example, it is a logical fallacy to say that because Adam has been convicted of theft before, if a theft is committed in Adam’s vicinity, he must have committed it.
First, decreased culpability. In this category, the offender may be suffering from some condition or subject to some combination of circumstances that reduces her moral responsibility for the offending conduct. For example, serial shoplifter Goh Lee Yin was found to have suffered from kleptomania, a mental condition that contributed to her stealing.
Good character is generally considered under the rubric of behavioural credit. The issue for the court is whether the offender’s punishment should be lessened due to her good character. "In reply, it might be said that the weight to be given to this would be greater if there were positive evidence as to character rather than the negative inference from the absence of allegations of other convictions.
The court may also regard good character, or lack of prior convictions, as a sign that it should prioritise rehabilitation for the offender.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Naked Finn founder Tan Ken Loon is closing chef incubator Magic SquareThe last dinner service will be on Apr 30.
Read more »
Video: Father puts coins in piggy bank for daughter for over 28 years, racks up over $5KSingaporean actor and online personality Xenia Tan recently went viral for breaking an almost three-decades-old piggy bank from her father and finding around 7,000 Singaporean dollars (approximately $5,347). On Sunday, Tan posted a now-viral video that shows her smashing the piggy bank with a hammer in front of her family members during a Lunar New Year celebration. “Smashing my piggy bank of more than 28 years to see how much is inside,' her TikTok video’s onscreen text says at the beginning.
Read more »
Explainer: Is there potential conflict of interest when MPs hold full-time private sector jobs and what are the safeguards?SINGAPORE — Since tech and ride-sharing company Grab announced the appointment of Ms Tin Pei Ling as its new director of public affairs and policy on Wednesday (Feb 1), there has been a public debate on the potentia
Read more »
‘Paedophilic’ man who targeted multiple children now accused of molesting another childGary Alexander Tan is said to have targeted the child when she was between four and six years old. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Deloitte Netball Super League 2023 begins 4 Feb, to feature Brunei & Thailand from Round 2 - Singapore News“I'm looking forward to the opportunities to pit our skills against our opponents and overcome them together with my teammates,” expressed Sneakers’ Shannon Tan.
Read more »
‘Paedophilic’ man who targeted multiple children now accused of molesting another childA man who pleaded guilty in December 2022 to molesting three children and taking explicit videos of several other young people faces a fresh charge of molesting a pre-schooler in a church between 1993 and 1995. Gary Alexander Tan, who was charged with molestation...
Read more »