{"id":64956,"date":"2026-06-30T13:21:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=64956"},"modified":"2026-06-30T13:21:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T05:21:02","slug":"man-with-caregiver-stress-gets-8-years-for-killing-brother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=64956","title":{"rendered":"Man with caregiver stress gets 8 years for killing brother"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE \u2013\u00a0A 58-year-old man taking care of his younger brother who had many chronic diseases became fed up with the <!-- -->victim\u2019s incessant<!-- --> cleaning <!-- -->of<!-- --> their flat in Boon Lay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In the early hours of March 11, 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/courts-crime\/man-58-charged-with-murdering-his-younger-brother-in-boon-lay?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">Abdul Rani Md Ariffin strangled and suffocated<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/courts-crime\/man-58-charged-with-murdering-his-younger-brother-in-boon-lay?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\"> Abdul Rahman Mohamed Ariffin<\/span><\/a>, 56,<!-- --> following<!-- --> an argument<!-- --> over the endless cleaning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Rani also pitied his younger brother because of his illnesses and wanted to make the victim\u2019s worries disappear, prosecutors told the High Court on June 30.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">On June 30, Rani, who is now 59, <!-- -->was sentenced to eight years\u2019 jail after he <!-- -->pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He was originally charged with murder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The charge was reduced after a psychiatric assessment found that he was suffering from adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct that included depressed mood state and irritability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The condition impaired his ability to appreciate the moral wrongfulness of his actions in ending the victim\u2019s life, the psychiatric report stated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">It also said he was facing caregiver stress, and that there was evidence he had difficulties in emotional regulation and expression.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Rani shared the flat with his younger brother and two older sisters. <!-- -->Both<!-- --> men were unemployed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Rani <!-- -->slept on the sofa in the living room, his two sisters slept in a bedroom, while the victim <!-- -->took<!-- --> another bedroom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The victim had been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and chronic kidney disease. He was also diagnosed with depression since 2008.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Rani took care of his three siblings. He took <!-- -->Rahman<!-- --> and their two sisters, Salbiah and Zarah, to their medical appointments, and bought household items and groceries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">On Jan 27, 2025, the victim went to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital due to swelling and bruising.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He was then transferred to National University Hospital, where he was warded until Feb 28, 2025. He was diagnosed with acquired hemophilia A.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">After the victim\u2019s discharge from NUH, he started cleaning the flat frequently by taking out household items, sorting through them, discarding unwanted things, and rearranging or storing the remainder in drawers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">However, he usually did not complete one area before moving on to another, leaving multiple piles of unsorted belongings throughout the flat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Frustrated,<!-- --> Rani would ask the victim why he was incessantly cleaning and tidying up, but the victim would tell his older brother not to be a busybody.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Between 3am and 4am <!-- -->on March 11, Rani was lying on the sofa in the living room when he heard Salbiah telling the victim that he still had not finished tidying up, and the victim<!-- --> scolded<!-- --> her in response.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">After a few minutes, Rani went to the victim\u2019s bedroom to reprimand him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He asked the victim \u201cwhy does the cleaning never end?\u201d, to which the victim replied, \u201cI clean as I wish to la\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Angered, Rani stepped out of the bedroom and suddenly felt like strangling <!-- -->his brother<!-- -->.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He was angry because of the victim\u2019s response to him, and because the victim scolded Salbiah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He also pitied the victim because of his many <!-- -->illnesses<!-- -->, his poor memory, and he wanted to make the victim\u2019s worries disappear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">After killing his brother, Rani left the bedroom at around 7am.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Zarah woke up at about 10.30am, and he told her he had strangled Rahman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene, and Rani was arrested at about 12.25pm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The court heard Rani has an established diagnosis of schizophrenia but was not in an active relapse at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Describing the case as a profound tragedy, Deputy Public Prosecutors Ben Tan and Joel Fun sought eight to 10 years\u2019 jail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">They acknowledged the psychiatric evidence but said Rani\u2019s offence remained undeniably grave.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The victim, who was in a vulnerable state, was killed by his own brother, the very person who should have been providing him with care and support, said the prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">They added that Rani\u2019s justifications for killing the victim should not diminish the gravity of such acts of violence against a defenceless family member.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Defence counsel Amarick Gill, who was assigned to defend Rani, sought eight years\u2019 jail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said: \u201cThis was a situation of friction between him and his brother, it was a situation of caretaker fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He added Rani will have to live for the rest of his life with the knowledge he took his brother\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/courts-crime\/man-who-had-caregiver-stress-gets-8-years-jail-for-killing-younger-brother-in-boon-lay-flat-in-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE \u2013\u00a0A 58-year-old man taking care of his younger brother who had many chronic diseases became fed up with the victim\u2019s incessant cleaning of their&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/64957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}