Kovan murder trial: Iskandar relates tragic downward spiral that led to crime, and death
Iskandar Rahmat went to 14J Hillside Drive, home of car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67, unarmed and without a change of clothes. He did not know that Tan's son Chee Heong, 42, would be visiting in the afternoon. And when the 36-year-old eventually fled the scene, his clothes "drenched with blood", he did not even retrieve what he had come for: an orange bag apparently containing thousands in valuables.
Taking the stand today (30 Oct) as the only witness for the defence, former policeman Iskandar maintained his defence that the killings of the two Tans was a poorly conceived robbery gone terribly wrong.
And it was a broken marriage in 2005 that saw him saddled with crippling debt and "driven by desperation" to hatch a plan to rob the elder Tan, argued defence lawyer Shashi Nathan.
Ultimately, said Nathan, the deaths of father and son were “unexpected, unpremeditated and sudden”. And in a state of "shock, panic, confusion and anxiety", Iskandar felt he had no choice but to flee Singapore, added Nathan.
Testifying in court for the first time, Iskandar appeared pale and wan. He spoke in hushed tones.
But his voice was firm whenever the question was put to him: did you intend to kill the two Tans?
"If I had the intention to kill Mr Tan Boon Sin, I would have done it the moment I arrived at the house," said Iskandar. And when asked if he had laid in wait for the younger Tan after killing his father, Iskandar was equally emphatic, "No, I did not even know anyone was coming back. How could I be standing by the door when I do not know who is coming back?"
Under direct examination by Nathan, Iskandar recounted the sequence of events that led to his financial woes, and the grisly events of 10 July, 2013.
Distinguished career, broken marriage
A model policeman with numerous commendations during his 14-year career, the son of a taxi driver and housewife even did well enough to win sponsorship from the Singapore Police Force to pursue a diploma in management and police studies. But things began to unravel for the former senior staff sergeant following his divorce in 2005, after just a year of marriage.
Iskandar had taken up hundreds of thousands in loans for a new flat and car, and for the renovation of his apartment. He was servicing the loans, with the interests escalating, by himself, and was also the main breadwinner for his family, on a take-home pay of about $3,200 per month.
Despite selling the car and flat to pay off his debts, Iskandar had a rude shock when he received a statutory demand for $87,000 from OCBC bank in 2012. "It was very stressful. I have never owed that kind of money in my life," said Iskandar, who went to court to dispute the amount. Embarrassed, he did not confide any of this to his family or friends.
In November 2012, Iskandar was one of three Investigating Officers on duty when Tan Boon Sin lodged a police report about the theft of valuables from his safe deposit box at Certis CISCO. Iskandar discovered that Tan had more than $200,000 in valuables lodged in the box. That was when he had the ghost of an idea, said Iskandar, "I just had the passing idea that this was an opportunity for me to get some money." He even kept a copy of the police report.
Financial woes add up
That same month, he was issued a notice to attend a bankruptcy hearing, which drew the attention of his superiors. Iskandar was then barred from bearing firearms and relegated from being an investigation officer to a role overseeing individuals in custody. This meant that he would no longer receive his investigation allowance of $350 a month.
This eventually led to a first disciplinary hearing in April 2013, where it was made clear to Iskandar: settle the debt, or lose your job. At a second hearing on 3 July 2013, he was given till the end of the month to fix his financial woes. The very next day, he attended a bankruptcy hearing where he was a given a week to settle his debts.
At this point, following negotiations with the bank, Iskandar still owed $50,000. He said, "I felt even more desperate. I was sad that at the end of the month, I’m going to be sacked. In one week’s time, I’m going to be made a bankrupt."
Then on 8 July, he remember the police report he had kept about Tan Boon Sin. "That was the first time I thought about my plan to cheat him and take away his money," said Iskandar. He then hatched his plot: he would deceive Tan that his safe deposit box was about to be hit again, and give him a surveillance camera to be placed inside the box. Iskandar would then escort him home with his valuables, and seize them from him.
The day of the incident
On the day of 10 July, Iskandar made his preparations, donning a wristlet and an old mobile phone earpiece to act as communication devices. He dressed in his old investigation officer attire of long-sleeved shirt, pants and court shoes. He even rented a car, in order to look "professional" in front of Tan Boon Sin, and donned Oakley sunglasses with reflective lenses so that he would not be easily identifiable.
Having arranged a meeting with Tan senior at the Shell station near Certis CISCO along Jalan Afifi, Iskandar gave him a dummy camera to be placed in the safe deposit box. When Tan returned to his car, a silver Toyota Camry, Iskandar noticed that he placed an orange bag - presumably containing his valuables - under his seat. He told Tan in Malay that his 'partner' would also be coming to his house with some forms to sign, and got into the car with him.
Arriving at 14J Hillside Drive, Tan placed the orange bag at the foot of a flight of steps. While trying to figure out how to grab the bag and run, Iskandar went to the toilet - but returned to discover that the bag was gone. He then claimed to Tan that his safe deposit box had been hit again, but the 'culprit' had been apprehended at Certis CISCO and that Tan had to bring his valuables back to the building.
A bloody struggle
But after a brief phone call, Tan emerged from the kitchen with a "quite angry" face, claimed Iskandar, "He told me that I cheated him - the CCTV camera does not contain batteries. I was shocked that he found out about my lie." Tan then attacked him wiith a knife, he said.
A struggle then ensued with the two men "tugging at each other". In the process, he managed to wrestle the knife from the older man, who had cut his right hand. Iskandar stabbed Tan a a dozen times and slashed him eight more times. Asked if he had aimed the blows at any specific areas, he said, "No, Your Honour, I just swing [sic] my arms. I just wanted to get away. At that point I didn’t think about the money anymore. I was just fearing for my life."
Iskandar added, "I was bleeding. I panicked that there was so much blood. In my whole life, I’ve never been cut before. It seems blurry to me." He also claimed that Tan bit his left palm "quite deep". Earlier in the trial, forensic odontologist Tan Hui Peng, who examined Iskandar, testified that the injuries on his left hand were not the result of a human bite.
Nathan asked why Iskandar, as a younger and fitter man, did not simply push Tan away and make his escape. He responded, "Even after I hit him once or twice, he was still strong enough to hold on to me. He still tried to punch me." When it was pointed out that two doctors had testified to Tan's mobility issues with his left knee, Iskandar admitted that he had seen him walking with a limp.
As the struggle continued, Tan senior weakened, "He wasn’t tugging at me anymore. His bite was soft. I thought he was weakening. He was falling backwards, toward the organ area. He’s pulling me towards him, so I have to follow him, I have to lay him down."
Caught by surprise
At this point, Iskandar heard a cry of "Pa!" from the front door - it was Tan Chee Heong, who came charging at him with his "hands...clenched into fists" and swung at him. "I intended to punch him back, but I did not realize that I was still having the knife in my hand," said Iskandar. "I was just swinging my arm wildly. I was in a panic." The younger Tan sustained seven stab wounds to his face and neck, and at least eight more incised wounds.
With the floor "covered in blood", the two men could not keep their balance. It ended with Tan "stumbling" out of the house. In a state of confusion and panic, Iskandar grabbed a towel from the toilet to wrap around his injured hand. He then picked up his possesions - wristlet, spectacles, a piece of paper on which he had written a false name for Tan senior - as well as a smart key that had fallen out of the elder Tan's pocket. In the process, Iskandar left bloody sockprints in several parts of the house.
Earlier in the trial, former domestic helper Salamah testified that she had seen Iskandar walking out of the house and to the left and back of the Camry. She claimed that he looked down at the body of Tan Chee Heong, who had collapsed outside the house, before reversing the car over the body. This was strenuously denied by Iskandar, who did admit to seeing blood on the right side of the car.
A hurried getaway
Iskandar drove off in the Camry, which latched onto the body of Tan junior. The body was only dislodged outside Kovan MRT station, almost a kilometre away. But he claimed that he was unaware of this, despite motorists horning at him, "I believe people were horning because they saw blood on the right side of the car. When they are horning, they make me go faster."
He drove to Eunos, where he had parked the rented car, and switched vehicles. He then drove home to Kim Keat, where Iskandar lived with his family. Avoiding his mother, he showered and cleaned up, bandaged his injured hand, and threw the knife and his bloodied clothes in a red plastic bag.
Getting back into the rented car in a "confused" and "remorseful" state, he paused to say some prayers. "I said sorry that things had turned out this way," said Iskandar. He then drove to a canal in East Coast park to dump the bag with the knife and clothes, hoping that they would be washed out to sea.
While driving off, Iskandar noticed a "massive jam" along Upper Serangoon Road, but was still unaware of what had happend to Tan Chee Heong. He only realised it later on when he surfed the Internet while charging his phone, he claimed.
Iskandar subsequently fled to Malaysia, avoiding his bankruptcy hearing the next day as he knew that bankrupt individuals would not be allowed to leave Singapore. He was arrested by Malaysian police on 12 July and extradited to Singapore the following day.
As he ended his testimony, Iskandar stressed, "Your Honour, what I have been telling is the truth. Even in court, my story is the truth."
It was not a serrated blade
Iskandar also claimed that the knife used in the killings of the Tans was a smooth blade, not a serrated one. As the knife was never recovered, Iskandar had produced a drawing of the knife, which appeared to show a serrated blade. Earlier in the trial, Sherman Loh, a fishing buddy of Tan senior, said that they did not use serrated knives.
But Iskandar clarified that he had meant to portray a smooth blade with a "shiny part and a matte finish". He also said that he had not told any of the police officers that it was a serrated blade.
The trial resumes on Mon, 9 Nov, when Iskandar will be cross examined by the prosecution.
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