Man jailed 15 years for attempted murder of estranged daughter whom he thought was unfilial

• Shoo Ah San’s relationship with his children was strained
• He thought they were unfilial and plotted to kill his oldest child, thinking she was behind the sale of his home
• He waited for her at her home in Marsiling, then stabbed her 17 times
• He pleaded guilty in the High Court to attempted murder, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment

SINGAPORE — A 65-year-old man who repeatedly stabbed his daughter at a bus stop in Marsiling where she lived, with the sole intention of killing her, was jailed for 15 years on Friday (Nov 5).

Justice Aedit Abdullah noted that Shoo Ah San had caused substantial injuries to the victim, but said it was doubtful that he would be able to reoffend after he is released from prison due to his age.

Shoo’s relationship with his three children was strained due to a dispute over their family home back in Malaysia. 

He thought they were unfilial and was upset with Ms Shoo Suet Lian, his oldest child, for purportedly selling the house and not providing him with living expenses.

He then crossed the Causeway to Singapore armed with a knife, waited for her at her home and attacked her.

The Malaysian man, who worked as a lorry driver in Johor Baru, had pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of attempted murder, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

The prosecution sought 16 to 18 years of imprisonment, while his lawyer — Mr Victor David Lau from law firm Drew & Napier — sought 10 years’ jail instead.

WHAT HAPPENED

The court previously heard that Shoo initially leased their family house in Johor Baru to tenants before it was purchased in Ms Shoo’s name in 2000, because he was an undischarged bankrupt at the time and his older son was not yet 21. Shoo's wife had died from illness in 1992.

Shoo eventually moved out in 2007 to work in Malacca but returned from time to time.

In 2016, his son changed the house locks to keep him away because he had previously caused disruptions, such as by removing an ancestral tablet.

Displeased, Shoo broke into the house in early 2019, writing on the walls and mirrors in red paint that his daughter was unfilial. He also wrote about wanting to kill his children, and did not turn up when his son arranged to meet for a discussion about the house.

In March that year, his children decided to refurbish and sell the house to avoid more trouble from their father.

Shoo grew upset when he saw the refurbished house. He planned at first to kill his daughter between June and August 2019, but put it off. 

He had also planned to kill himself by jumping off a block of flats in Singapore where Ms Shoo lived.

On Jan 16 last year, Shoo’s girlfriend asked him to move out of her house. He then decided to go to Singapore to kill his daughter.

The next morning, he crossed Woodlands Checkpoint on his motorcycle and went to her home along Marsiling Lane. Not knowing which was her unit, he rode around and waited for her to leave for work at about 5am.

When he saw her walking alone towards a bus stop, he ran towards her and said in Cantonese, “You all harm me very miserably”, and stabbed her in the shoulder, upper chest, shoulder blade and back.

He had tried to stab her in the neck first, knowing it was a vital point, but she managed to block him. He then fled towards his motorcycle while Ms Shoo shouted for help.

A passer-by tried to help her and called for an ambulance, but when Shoo saw his daughter sitting at the grass verge, he got off his motorcycle and rushed towards them while exclaiming in Cantonese: “You have not die? Then I will die.”

He stabbed his daughter again, while the passer-by shouted at him to stop. 

He did so only when he saw blood flowing from Ms Shoo’s mouth. He then fled, riding to the Kaki Bukit area where he knew his son worked as a mechanic in a workshop.

He was unsuccessful in finding the younger man until five days later, when his son’s ex-colleagues gave him the address of his son’s current workplace. 

Police officers later arrested him at a coffee shop near his son’s workplace. They seized the knife and notes alleging a lack of filial piety on his children’s part, which he wanted to carry with him in his planned suicide.

Ms Shoo sustained 17 stab wounds and was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery.

The court heard that she is now wary of waiting at the same bus stop where the attack occurred, and stands instead of sitting down at bus stops so that she can run away at any sign of trouble.

Those convicted of attempted murder can be jailed for up to life and caned. They can also be jailed for up to 20 years, as well as fined or caned or both.

Shoo cannot be caned because offenders aged 50 or above are exempt from caning under Singapore law.