Two men — initially charged with the murder of a 34-year-old Frenchman at Orchard Towers last April — pleaded guilty to reduced charges of voluntarily causing grievous hurt in court yesterday. Radin Abdullah Syaafii Radin Badruddin and Muhammad Daniel Abdul Jalil, both 24, were accused of fatally attacking Navarro Dorian Regis, who died from traumatic head injuries in May last year after he was in a coma for six weeks, reported TODAY.
The duo will be sentenced on Oct 19, and each could face a jail term of up to 10 years, and a fine or caning for the offence.
Daniel was also convicted of a second charge for assaulting Regis’ friend, Goudal Pierre Eric Jules Jean, who had attempted to shield Regis and got punched in the face for it, according to Channel NewsAsia.
Apparently, the squabble between the men was a result of what Radin considered an act of “mockery” by Regis, noted The Straits Times.
Both Frenchmen had stepped out of a club at Orchard Towers around 5:30am on Apr 1 last year when they passed by Radin, Daniel and their buddies. Daniel was caught up in an argument with another man, who knocked his hat off his head in the fight that ensued. The item landed near Regis, and Radin approached him to pick it up. But before he could do so, Regis threw it back towards the group.
Angered by Regis’ action, Radin took offence and demanded an apology. Him and his group of friends then followed the Frenchmen out of the building, where Daniel punched Regis on the head from behind and kicked his stomach. Regis attempted to escape the scene, but Daniel continued to attack him even after he fell to the ground, and Radin joined in the fight.
The Singaporeans fled soon after, and a passer-by alerted the police. Regis was sent to the hospital around 7:25am, where his initial stable condition deteriorated at 10:30am. He fell into a coma and remained comatose until his death.
