Man who said he consumed drugs with former lawyer M Ravi hours before his death charged in court
Shawn Loo Zhi Jian was charged for arranging a gathering where controlled drugs were consumed.
Shawn Loo (left) was charged for arranging a gathering with M Ravi knowing that methamphetamine would be consumed there. (Photos: LinkedIn/Shawn Loo, CNA)
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SINGAPORE: A man who said he consumed drugs with former lawyer M Ravi hours before his death was charged on Friday (Dec 26) for arranging a gathering where controlled drugs were consumed.
Shawn Loo Zhi Jian, 40, was handed one charge under the Misuse of Drugs Act by the State Courts.
His charge states that on Wednesday, between 1am and 5am, at an apartment along Upper Boon Keng Road, Loo arranged a gathering with Mr Ravi knowing that methamphetamine - a "Class A" controlled drug - would be consumed there.
The offence carries a jail term between three and 20 years, and 10 strokes of the cane.
Loo, dressed in a white shirt, appeared via videolink from remand. A lawyer representing him said that he had yet to take instructions from Loo and sought an adjournment.
The prosecution told the court that Loo may be given additional charges, pending the results from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the retrieval of closed-circuit camera television footage.
In a joint news release on Friday, the Singapore Police Force and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that the two men knew each other since 2023 and had first met through a social networking app.
Loo said that they had met at the man’s apartment on Dec 24 to consume drugs that allegedly came from both of them, and engage in other activities.
According to him, Mr Ravi, 56, began to show "concerning symptoms" and became unresponsive after they allegedly consumed the drugs. The man administered CPR on Mr Ravi before calling the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for assistance.
Mr Ravi was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital unconscious, where he was subsequently pronounced dead.
CNB’s follow-up investigations revealed that the man may have deliberately disposed of some drugs before the police arrived at the Upper Boon Keng Road apartment. He has therefore also been referred to the police for a possible offence of perverting the course of justice.
Loo was arrested by CNB for suspected drug-related offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
CNB officers also seized some drug-related items from the apartment. His urine had tested positive for a controlled drug in an instant urine test, and his urine samples will be sent to the HSA for a confirmatory test.
Investigations by CNB and the police are ongoing.
The authorities said that after police investigations are completed, the findings will be submitted to the State Coroner in Singapore, who will determine if a coroner’s inquiry will need to be held.
Loo will return to court on Jan 2. Bail was offered to him at S$20,000 (US$15,578).
