Yishun coffeeshop caretaker stabbed dead; three men nearly hanged for murder they didn't commit

Ang Chye, a 65-year-old caretaker at Block 780 Yishun Ring Road, was found stabbed to death on 2 February 1989 after arriving for his night shift. Multiple screwdriver wounds and a robbery of approximately $2,000 in cash, cigarettes, beer and personal effects pointed to a violent break-in. Police arrested four men—Zainal Kuning, brothers Salahuddin and Mohamad Bashir Ismail, and Abdul Hannan bin Ahmad—after interviewing over 50 Yishun residents.

Three of the accused faced trial beginning 2 March 1992. The case collapsed when defence counsel J.B. Jeyaretnam produced a fingerprint expert who testified that two prints recovered from a beer crate at the scene matched neither of the accused men, but a third party: labourer Mohamed Sulaiman Samsudin. Prosecutors withdrew charges and Justice T.S. Sinnathuray acquitted all three.

Sulaiman was tried separately, convicted of murder on 16 February 1994, and sentenced to death. He admitted breaking in to steal and attacking Ang with a screwdriver after the caretaker threw hot water at him. The three wrongly accused men sued for false arrest and malicious prosecution, but the High Court dismissed their suit in 1995 and the Court of Appeal upheld the dismissal in 1996. The near-miscarriage of justice prompted scrutiny of police investigation methods.

• 02 Feb 1989en.wikipedia.org
• 14 Feb 1989eresources.nlb.gov.sg