After being detained in flat for 19 hours, wheelchair-bound man died in attempt to flee through window

In a tragic series of events, 62-year-old Khiong Lam Swee died while attempting to flee through a window after he was illegally detained in a flat by a friend, The Straits Times reported.

The horrifying tale came to light yesterday at the sentencing hearing of 57-year-old drug offender Ho Chin Hin.

Hin was so convinced that Khiong had informed the authorities about his drug-related activities that he pushed the wheelchair-bound man into his third-story Eunos Crescent flat, keeping him there until he “confessed”, the court heard. The pair had apparently known each other for 22 years.

Desperate to escape after being confined for almost 19 hours, Khiong climbed out of the window, only to fall to his death.

Ho was released on bail on May 5 last year after he was caught for drug-related offenses, Deputy Public Prosecutor Daphne Lim mentioned in court. Twelve days later, Ho and Khiong met at Eunos Crescent Market and Food Centre and consumed heroin together in a toilet.

DPP Lim said that the accused believed Khiong was the informant responsible for his earlier arrest, so he took the victim back to his flat at noon the same day. Once in the flat, Ho accused Khiong of being an informant, but Khiong denied the allegation and was subsequently confined in the flat by Ho.

Ten hours later, Ho’s younger brother returned home and pushed Khiong out of the flat in his wheelchair, but Ho rushed out and pulled him back. The brother decided not to interfere in Ho’s affair, and declined to help Khiong at 5am the next day, when he was asked to let him go.

Ho was asleep when he heard a loud thud at about 9:40am. After seeing Khiong’s wheelchair near the window, he rushed to the ground floor and asked passersby to call an ambulance. Khiong died of multiple injuries three hours later, after being brought to the hospital by paramedics. Ho was arrested later that same day.

He was sentenced to nine months’ jail yesterday after pleading guilty to wrongful confinement of Khiong. He will serve the nine months in addition to his five year, three-month sentence on drug charges.