Judge Seeks Psychiatrist's Insight in Yishun Stabbing Case

Understanding the Case

A High Court session in Singapore on October 29 raised significant questions regarding the mental state of a 52-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his landlord. The incident involved Affendi Yusoff, who attacked Fiqri Choo Iskandar, 35, in their apartment on July 27, 2024, shortly after they had taken a photo together.

Legal Proceedings and Mental Health Assessments

During the hearing, Justice Philip Jeyaretnam expressed skepticism regarding three differing psychiatric evaluations concerning Affendi's mental state at the time of the act. Prosecutors argued for his acquittal on the basis that he was deemed unsound of mind due to intoxication from dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant, taken the night before the stabbing.

The judge remarked, “I’m not particularly satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the accused did not know the nature of his act,” indicating his intent to further explore the case by questioning the psychiatrist directly. Consequently, the court hearing has been rescheduled.

Plea and Background

Affendi admitted to a lesser charge of culpable homicide rather than murder, with both the prosecution and defense asserting that he was not in a sound mental state during the crime. It was revealed that he had recently been released from a five-year corrective training program for previous offenses and had rented a room in the victim’s home with the help of his sister.

On the day of the attack, Affendi consumed over 90 pills of dextromethorphan. The pills were purchased from a location near MacPherson MRT station. Between 7:50 AM and 8:40 AM, he assaulted Fiqri with three knives and a chopper, resulting in the victim suffering 97 wounds, including a fatal stab to the chest and several slashes to the head.

Contradictions in Psychiatric Reports

The evaluations of Affendi's mental state produced mixed results. Initially, he was classified as unsound of mind due to his drug use. However, a subsequent report, which followed a reconstruction of the crime scene and indicated possible clean-up behavior, suggested he might not have been mentally impaired when the attack occurred. The third report indicated he could have been of unsound mind during the incident but regained clarity afterwards. These discrepancies are critical in determining Affendi's culpability and will be a focal point for the upcoming psychiatric questioning.