Man, 90, with dementia accused of killing wife in Bukit Panjang flat, found unfit to stand trial
A 90-year-old man with dementia who was charged over the death of his wife has been found unfit to stand trial, with the High Court setting a notional imprisonment term of five years.
Ridawi Morsudin faced one charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder over the death of his 74-year-old wife, Aminah Binti Abdul.
The incident took place between 6.40pm on June 4, 2024, and 12.58am the following day at an HDB flat in Petir Road at Bukit Panjang.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the High Court ruled on Aug 28 that Ridawi should be remitted to the custody of the Minister for Home Affairs.
He will remain at Changi Prison Medical Centre for now.
Notional imprisonment of 5 years set
The prosecution said Ridawi had been assessed by the Institute of Mental Health to be of unsound mind and unable to plead to or stand trial for the culpable homicide charge.
It therefore invoked the relevant provisions under the Criminal Procedure Code for him to be dealt with by the Home Affairs Minister.
The prosecution proposed a notional imprisonment term of five years.
The defence, however, argued that given Ridawi’s current health condition, he was unlikely to reoffend and was dependent on others for his daily activities. It urged the court to consider a term of two to three years instead.
In delivering her decision, High Court Judge Fu Xiaoping (transliterated) noted that Ridawi was already 88 at the time of the incident, yet was still capable of killing his wife in what she described as a brutal manner.
She said public safety therefore still had to be taken into consideration.
The judge ultimately accepted the prosecution’s proposal and set the notional imprisonment term at five years.
A notional imprisonment term refers to the jail term a court would have imposed had the accused been convicted.
When the High Court finds that an accused is of unsound mind and unable to plead to or stand trial, and decides to remit the case to the Minister, the judge must state the notional imprisonment term the accused should receive in a report.
The Minister will then decide whether the accused should be detained or conditionally released.
If Ridawi is detained, the period cannot exceed the five-year notional imprisonment term.
The case is believed to be the first heard by the High Court involving an accused of unsound mind and a notional imprisonment term since the relevant legal provisions were amended and came into effect in February 2025.
Stared blankly during hearing
Ridawi attended the hearing via video link and stared blankly throughout the proceedings.
According to earlier reports, his cognitive abilities had noticeably declined since 2022 and he had also become increasingly irritable. He would sometimes leave the house on his own and get lost.
He was diagnosed with delirium and mixed dementia.
A day-care centre placement was arranged for him, but the arrangement was eventually discontinued because he was unwilling to cooperate.
To prevent him from leaving the house and getting lost when no one was around to supervise him, his family decided to secure the metal gate with a bicycle lock.
On the night of the incident, Ridawi’s grandson, who lived with the couple but was not at home at the time, checked the home surveillance camera at around midnight.
He spotted Aminah lying motionless in a pool of blood. Ridawi was seen standing behind a recliner, looking at her.
The grandson immediately called 995 before rushing home on his motorcycle.
An autopsy found fractures to Aminah’s skull, neck, spine, left lower jaw, left collarbone and several ribs, as well as an injury to her left lung.
She also suffered at least 34 sharp-force injuries to her head, face and the left side of her body.
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