Man gets 8 years' jail for strangling depressed younger brother; judge notes caregiver stress

SINGAPORE: A man caring for his jobless, depressed and chronically ill younger brother strangled his sibling after getting fed up with him and thinking death would make his brother’s worries disappear.

Abdul Rani Md Ariffin, a 59-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to eight years’ jail on Tuesday (Jun 30). He pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which had been downgraded from murder.

This was because he was suffering from abnormality of mind and so qualified for diminished responsibility according to exception 7 under Section 300 of the Penal Code.

The court heard that Abdul Rani was suffering an adjustment disorder at the time of the offence, as well as caregiver stress in looking after the victim. His disorder affected his ability to appreciate the moral wrongfulness of his actions and his ability to control his actions under his impaired judgment.

THE CASE

Abdul Rani lived with his younger brother Abdul Rahman Mohamed Ariffin, 56, and two older sisters in their 60s.

Abdul Rani began caring for his siblings after his mother died in 2010 and was responsible for taking them to medical appointments and buying household items and groceries.

He slept on the sofa in the living room, while his sisters shared a bedroom and the victim slept in the other bedroom.

His brother had been diagnosed with depression since 2008 and suffered chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease.

Abdul Rani himself was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia – a form of psychosis where a person’s thoughts and perceptions become detached from reality – but this was managed with antipsychotic medication since 2011 and he did not relapse at the time of the offence.

Both he and his brother were unemployed.

In January 2025, his brother was warded in the hospital with an inherited bleeding disorder.

After being discharged the next month, he began cleaning the flat frequently but failing to complete one task before moving on to the next.

This resulted in piles of unsorted belongings around the home.

Abdul Rani felt “fed up” with his brother because of this behaviour, the court heard.

When he asked his brother why he did this incessantly, the brother told him not to be a busybody.

Abdul Rani said in his defence lawyer’s mitigation plea that his brother had been rearranging things and cleaning from morning until nightfall for the 10 days before the incident.

At about 3am to 4am on Mar 11, 2025, Abdul Rani was lying on his sofa in the living room with his eyes closed.

He heard one of his sisters telling his brother that he had not finished tidying up. He heard the brother scolding his sister in response.

Abdul Rani went to the brother’s bedroom to reprimand him, asking him why the cleaning never ended.

The brother replied: “I clean as I wish to, lah.”

Abdul Rani grew angry and suddenly felt like strangling his brother because of his response and the way he scolded their sister.

Abdul Rani also pitied his brother because of his many sicknesses and poor memory, and wanted to make his brother’s worries disappear.

He then choked his brother on his bed multiple times and strangled him before pressing a cushion on his face to make sure he was dead.

After this, he saw his sister in the living room and did not want to implicate his other siblings.

He told his sister only the next morning that he had strangled their brother. Abdul Rani later called the police, telling them what he did and that the body was already cold and stiff.

An autopsy stated that the victim had died of “manual compression of neck and suffocation”.

ABDUL RANI’S PSYCHIATRIC CONDITION

Abdul Rani was remanded for a forensic psychiatric evaluation. It was found that he likely had an adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct at the time.

He was also facing caregiver stress related to caring for his brother, with evidence that he had difficulty in emotional regulation and expression.

The court heard that the core features of Abdul Rani’s adjustment disorder, which included a depressed mood and irritability, would have a real and material effect or influence on his ability to appreciate why his actions were morally wrong, in the context of ending the victim’s suffering by ending his life.

However, he was not of unsound mind. He is also not of any imminent or significant risk to himself or to others.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Ben Tan and Joel Fun sought eight to 10 years’ jail for Abdul Rani, saying that the offence remains undeniably grave, notwithstanding the psychiatric evidence.

“The accused’s justifications for killing the victim should not diminish the gravity of these acts of violence against a defenceless family member who posed no threat nor resistance and was simply going about his daily activities in what should have been the safety of his own home,” Mr Fun said.

The prosecution said it was aware of only one reported judgment involving sibling fratricide, or the act of murdering one’s own brother or sister.

This was the case of Ong Wee Teck, who was suffering from an acute schizophrenia relapse and paranoid delusions about his brother poisoning him. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001.

Mr Fun said the sentencing must reflect society’s condemnation of the intentional taking of human life, to send a clear message that familial disputes or caregiver stress cannot justify resorting to violence.

Defence lawyer Amarick Gill asked for a maximum of eight years’ jail, saying this was a situation of friction between his client and his brother, and a situation of caretaker fatigue in the household.

“He has great family support. His family is there in the public gallery,” Mr Gill said.

“It is what it is, because he will have to live the rest of his life with the knowledge on his conscience that he took away his brother’s life.”

Mr Gill said in his written mitigation plea that his client was described as “non-violent” by his family and was the self-appointed caregiver of his siblings.

He was deeply saddened by the physical ailments that afflicted his brother, stating: “I do not know why I wanted to kill him, I only pity him.”

Mr Gill said that his client was worried about his brother’s future.

In sentencing, Justice Dedar Singh Gill said this was a sad and tragic case but involved an undoubtedly grave offence against a “defenceless family member”.

He weighed the various factors and sentenced Abdul Rani to eight years’ jail, to be backdated from his date of arrest in March 2025.

For culpable homicide not amounting to murder, he could have been jailed for life or for up to 20 years and fined. He cannot be caned since he is more than 50 yars old.

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