On 19 July 2021, a thirteen-year old Secondary One male student named Ethan Hun Zhe Kai (Chinese: 韩喆凯; pinyin: Hán Zhékǎi) was struck to death with a combat fire fighting axe at River Valley High School in Boon Lay, Singapore, in an incident which was reportedly unprecedented in the history of Singapore.
On July 14, 2021, the perpetrator took the axe and a knife to school in a badminton racquet bag, which he hid under a sink in the toilet, but failed to follow through with his plan.
He tried again on July 19, 2021, where the attack occurred between 11:16 a.m. and 11:44 a.m. local time at a fourth floor toilet in River Valley High School.
[4] The victim—a thirteen-year-old, Secondary One male student—was then found dead inside the toilet, having suffered multiple slash wounds allegedly caused by the axe.
[9] According to a statement released by the Singapore Police Force several hours after the incident, preliminary investigations revealed that Hun and his killer are not known to each other.
[12] The Secondary Four student, who cannot be named due to Singaporean law on account of his age, was charged with murder on 20 July and remanded at the Complex Medical Centre within Changi Prison for psychiatric evaluation.
Justice Hoo stated that the crime itself carried a "chilling degree" of premeditation, cold logic and planning, and it was "without precedent" that a murder took place within a school environment where a student should feel safe inside, and she stated that regardless of the severity of the perpetrator's psychiatric condition, depression cannot become a "licence to kill or harm others".
Defense lawyer Sunil Sudheesan argued that his client's mental problems and the mitigating factors of the case should warrant him a jail term lower than the 16 years imposed by the High Court, although the prosecution urged the appellate court to uphold the 16-year jail term as the perpetrator still bore significant responsibility despite his psychiatric condition, since he himself did not seek help earlier to address his condition and had consumed the contents of graphic violence that aggravated his tendency to violence.
"[30] Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said that it was "difficult to even describe the true extent of their (the victim's parents') grief".
Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing defended his decision and replied that the ministry had decided that it was better for the students to grieve together than alone at home.
Measures were also put in place, including having all teachers equipped with enhanced mental health literacy, boosting the number of teacher-counsellors from 700 in 2021 to more than 1,000 several years later, recruiting more school counsellors or redeploying teachers to these roles, resuming CCAs at the secondary and pre-university level due to vaccinations, and dedicating more time to check on students' well-being.