On 13 November 1985, 33-year-old Indonesian fish merchant Nurdin Nguan Song (阮颂 Ruăn Sòng) was murdered at a hotel along Waterloo Street, Singapore.

One of them, a Malaysian named Loh Yoon Seong (罗勇向 Luó Yǒngxiàng), was found guilty of murdering Nurdin and sentenced to death,[1] while the other, a Singaporean named Tan Swee Hoon (陈瑞云 Chén Rùiyún), pleaded guilty to manslaughter and for having killed Nurdin and committed an armed robbery while on the run, Tan was jailed for 23 years and given 24 strokes of the cane.

Lim managed to survive the assault, but Nurdin, who sustained at least nine wounds on his head, hands and body, died shortly after he arrived at a hospital.

However, Loh had left Singapore by the time his identity was established, and he was therefore placed on the wanted list for the murder of Nurdin Nguan Song, while the police continued to investigate to identify the other attacker.

This allowed the authorities to obtain information of his whereabouts and led to his arrest in Malaysia and subsequent extradition to Singapore on 28 January 1988, where he was expected to be charged with murder.

Loh was represented by Chen Zhen Xiang while the prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Seng Kwang Boon.

Under Singaporean law, a person convicted of murder would be given the mandatory death penalty, and it would be carried out by long drop hanging, the standard execution method in Singapore.

[29] 51-year-old Hoo Kek Fu, the gunman who helped Tan commit the robbery, was found guilty and sentenced in August 1992 to seven years' preventive detention, a special type of imprisonment for recalcitrant offenders aged 30 and above and with three or more previous convictions.

[31] As for 35-year-old Lim Loo Kok, the third accomplice, he was tried in September 1992 and sentenced to 12 strokes of the cane and a jail term of five years and six months for the charge of abetting both Tan and Hoo to commit the robbery and their escape.

[32][33] A fourth man, 51-year-old Lee Hai Chue, was given a five-year jail term in August 1992 for providing Hoo with a revolver to commit the robbery.

[35][36] Deputy Public Prosecutor P O Ram argued that Tan should be sentenced to the maximum penalty of life imprisonment, on the grounds that he had committed multiple violent offences and a harsh punishment was warranted.

Tan, who was widowed with one 17-year-old son, pleaded for leniency and stated that he had become a Christian while in prison and deeply regretted his actions, and hoped to be a useful member of society before he became too old.

Therefore, the judge imposed a sentence of ten years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for the manslaughter charge, therefore sparing Tan from both life imprisonment and preventive detention.

[2][39][40] During the time when Tan Swee Hoon's trial was ongoing, it was confirmed through the Chinese newspapers that Loh Yoon Seong remained incarcerated on death row at Changi Prison as of June 1993.

Authorities also told the press that Loh's death sentence would be carried out on a date to be decided after the conclusion of Tan's manslaughter trial.

Tan maintained good behaviour while in prison, and he was therefore granted parole and released in 2007 after spending 15 years and a few months behind bars.

He stated that after leaving school in Secondary Three, he joined a gang at age 17 and therefore committed many offences, including armed robbery and rioting, and had at one point, sentenced to reformative training on two occasions.

Through the religious guidance he received, Tan gradually grew remorseful and realized the error of his ways, and was willing to face any consequences for his actions.