A 34-year-old man who failed to alert authorities after finding his girlfriend dead in her Hougang condominium was sentenced on Nov 17 to three months and one week in jail, alongside a $1,000 fine and a one-year driving ban.
Jason Hong Kai Qi pleaded guilty to four charges, including failing to report a death, obstructing justice, and multiple traffic-related offences.
According to Straits Times report, Hong had been in a relationship with the 33-year-old woman and occasionally stayed at her Riverfront Residences unit. According to court documents, he visited her at about 4.10pm on April 23, 2024, and found her lying motionless on the bed.
After calling out to her with no response, Hong attempted to revive her by administering her inhaler and performing chest compressions. He noted white residue around her mouth and that she let out a breath, but she showed no signs of life. He then gently closed her partially opened eyes.
Rather than contacting emergency services, Hong removed his belongings from the unit and left his access card sealed in an envelope in the shoe rack outside. Four hours later, he messaged the woman’s sister using a number she did not recognise, saying the woman could not be reached. The sister thought nothing unusual, as it was not uncommon for the woman to be uncontactable.
It was only on April 27, 2024, that the sister returned to the unit and discovered the woman’s decomposing body. The cause of death could not be determined due to severe decomposition.
Hong also faced charges stemming from a 2022 traffic accident. On Jan 26, 2022, he crashed into the rear of a taxi along Upper Serangoon Road while driving with a revoked licence. After the collision, he supplied the taxi driver with a false name and called a friend to attempt to take the blame.
Hong also faced charges stemming from a 2022 traffic accident. On Jan 26, 2022, he crashed into the rear of a taxi along Upper Serangoon Road while driving with a revoked licence. After the collision, he supplied the taxi driver with a false name and called a friend to attempt to take the blame.
When questioned by Traffic Police, Hong repeatedly insisted—over two separate recorded statements—that his friend had been driving. In July and August 2024, he maintained his story despite being warned about the consequences of lying. Investigators later obtained photos and videos from the taxi driver confirming Hong was the only adult in the car during the accident.
The prosecution sought at least three months’ jail, a fine of $600 to $800, and a one-year driving disqualification. Deputy Public Prosecutor Vishnu Menon emphasised the seriousness of Hong’s failure to report the death, stressing that the deceased was someone he was emotionally close to.
“With his messages to her sister, he created the false impression that the deceased was still alive,” the DPP said. Hong ultimately received a jail sentence exceeding the prosecution’s minimum request.
On the charge of obstruction of justice, the prosecution argued that Hong acted out of a “selfish motivation of avoiding his own liability for the predicate offences”, adding that the deceit was persistent because he repeated the false claim in two separate statements.
In mitigation, Hong’s lawyers, Ms Azeera Ali and Mr Ashwin Ganapathy from the Public Defender’s Office, said he deeply regrets causing distress to the woman’s family and wishes to apologise to them.
Under the law, failing to report a death carries a maximum penalty of a $1,500 fine, up to one month’s jail, or both.
Stock Image
- Man Jailed After Failing to Report Girlfriend’s Death in Hougang Condo
- Woman Loses Bid to Reclaim Two Dogs from Ex-Husband After Divorce; Court Rules They Were Matrimonial Assets
- Woman Used Fake PayNow Screenshots to Cheat Restaurants Out of Over S$9,000 Worth of Food
- Teen convicted after assaulting younger player during Jurong West basketball game
- NUS student fined $3,000 for deflating SUV tyres with green beans to discourage car ownership
