Teen attacked foreign workers as he was bored

He picked on smaller-built men to hone fight skills, he told probation officer
By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 14 Mar 2015

A YOUTH who was bored randomly targeted foreign workers and attacked them to hone his fighting skills.

Daryl Lim Jun Liang, 18, and his friends picked on smaller foreign workers, who were deemed less likely to fight back.

In September and October last year, Lim was involved in four such incidents.

Post by The Straits Times.

Yesterday, the prosecution called for a more "vigorous" probation for the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) student to deter him from associating with his gang members and to reflect on his wrongdoings.

In January, the teen had pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt. Another charge will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that on Oct 3 last year at around 3am, Lim and his three friends - Tan Jun Liang, 18, and two other 15-year-olds, who cannot be named because of a gag order - met in Yishun and decided to look for foreign workers to assault.

At about 6am, they spotted Chinese national Zuo Yu Nian, 48, walking along Yishun Avenue 6 and attacked him.

Lim and a 15-year-old accomplice punched the construction worker multiple times on the face and mouth before fleeing.

Calling for a stricter probation, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lai said that the attack was entirely unprovoked and there was a clear premeditated intent to pick on and assault a specific group with a certain build.

"This had the potential to harm social cohesion, which must be deterred," said DPP Lai.

He added that when asked by the probation officer about his actions, Lim had said they were feeling bored and that he had wanted to practise his fighting skills.

He also said that he picked on foreign workers as he had had negative encounters with them.

Such a response is "strikingly shocking" and showed Lim's "profound lack of respect for another person and his flagrant disregard for the law", DPP Lai noted.

He called for 18 months' probation with conditions, including three months in the Singapore Boys' Hostel, 120 hours of community service and a curfew between 10pm and 6am.

Lim's lawyer, Mr Luke Lee, asked that his client not be sent to the Singapore Boys' Hostel as it may affect his future work prospects. Lim is expected to be sentenced on April 10.

The case involving Tan is pending. The two 15-year-olds are on 18 months' probation.

For voluntarily causing hurt, Lim could be jailed up to two years and fined up to $5,000.

* Teen who beat foreigners: AGC files notice of appeal
By Lim Yi Han and Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 23 Apr 2015

AN 18-YEAR-OLD who beat up smaller foreign workers to practise his martial arts skills and even taunted them, could yet face a longer sentence after the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) filed a notice of appeal yesterday.

On Monday, Daryl Lim Jun Liang was given a short detention order of 10 days by a district judge for attacking two foreign workers last year - acts which Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday described as "completely unacceptable".

Speaking at the sidelines of an event by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Shanmugam said: "(The foreign workers) have come here and are helping us build our infrastructure.

"Instead of being grateful to them, and recognising that they're doing a hard job... to help their families, we go and attack them, it's bullying of somebody who's vulnerable.

"It's sickening conduct, the kind of conduct that you would not approve if somebody did it to animals."

The minister also wrote about it on his Facebook page, adding: "I hope that people who think and behave like Daryl are a tiny minority."

Young attacker of foreign workers danced and mocked them_______________________________________________The New Paper...
Posted by K Shanmugam Sc on Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Last year, Lim, together with two 15-year-old friends and another who is 18, had in separate incidents targeted a Chinese and an Indian worker, because they were smaller and deemed less likely to fight back.

Lim even mocked the victims by dancing in front of them.

A short detention order involves a short stint in jail but is intended to be less disruptive and stigmatising.

On Monday, district judge Lim Keng Yeow also ordered Lim to report to a supervision officer every day for a year. He also has to remain indoors from 10pm to 6am for a year and perform 150 hours of community service.

The judge noted that Lim, a student, had a supportive family and was at low risk of being a repeat offender.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lai had urged the court to send Lim to the Reformative Training Centre, where a stint lasts between 18 and 30 months.

He argued that the attacks were unprovoked and premeditated and that a deterrent sentence was needed in the light of the increase in the number of youth crimes involving violence.

If the prosecution decides to proceed with the appeal, it will next file a petition of appeal.

The two 15-year-olds, who cannot be named due to a gag order, are on 18 months' probation.

The case involving the other accomplice, Tan Jun Liang, is pending.

He attacked foreign workers with his friends because he was bored and also to hone his fighting skills. On Monday,...
Posted by The Straits Times on Monday, April 20, 2015

* Teen gets 10 days in detention for beating up worker
He must also report daily to officer and face other restrictions for a year
By Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 21 Apr 2015

A YOUTH who prowled around Yishun with three friends, looking for smaller-built foreign workers to beat up, was sentenced to a short detention of 10 days yesterday.

The youth, Daryl Lim Jun Liang, 19, was also ordered to report to a supervision officer every day for a year, be electronically tagged and remain indoors from 10pm to 6am. He also has to perform 150 hours of community service within a year.

Lim, an Institute of Technical Education student, is out on $15,000 bail while the prosecution decides whether to appeal.

The short detention order is a community sentencing option that is intended to be less disruptive and stigmatising than jail.

Together with his friends, Lim had, in September and October last year, picked on four foreign workers who were of smaller build, and who they deemed less likely to fight back.

In January, he pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt. The court heard that on Oct 3 at around 3am, Lim and his friends - Tan Jun Liang, 18, and two 15-year-olds, who cannot be named because of a gag order - met and decided to look for foreign workers to assault.

At about 6am, they spotted Chinese national Zuo Yunian, 48, walking along Yishun Avenue 6 and attacked him. Lim and a 15-year-old accomplice punched the construction worker multiple times in the face before fleeing.

In calling for a stiff penalty, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lai said the attack was entirely unprovoked and there was a clear premeditated intent to pick on and assault a specific group with a certain build.

He urged the court to send Lim to the Reformative Training Centre, where a stint lasts between 18 and 30 months. "A deterrent sentence is needed more than ever in the light of the increase in the number of youth crimes involving violence," said the prosecutor.

From 2013 to last year, he noted, the number of youths arrested for rioting grew 13.8 per cent - from 283 to 322.

Lim's lawyer, Mr Luke Lee, asked that his client not be sent for reformative training as it may affect his future work prospects.

It was also Lim's first brush with the law.

District Judge Lim Keng Yeow noted that Lim had a supportive family and was found to be receptive to parental advice and at low risk of being a repeat offender.

The case involving Tan is pending. The two 15-year-olds are on 18 months' probation.

Lim could have been jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000.