Criminal conspiracy
- Criminal conspiracy – When two or more persons agree to commit an offence, it is designated as criminal conspiracy.
Whoever commits an offence is punishable with death or imprisonment of up to two years or upwards. - If the criminal conspiracy is to commit any other offence, the punishment is imprisonment of up to six months, or with a fine, or with both.
Piracy
- Piracy – Whoever commits piracy shall be punished with imprisonment for life and with caning with not less than 12 strokes, but if while committing or attempting to commit piracy he or she murders or attempts to murder another person or does any act that is likely to endanger the life of another person he or she shall be punished with death.
Offences affecting the human body
Offences affecting life
- Culpable homicide – Where a decision is made by the Public Prosecutor not to charge a person with murder, a common alternative charge is 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder'.
- Murder – Except in the cases set out below, culpable homicide amounts to murder —
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- (a) if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing death;
- (b) if it is done with the intention of causing such bodily injury as the offender knows to be likely to cause the death of the person to whom the harm is caused;
- (c) if it is done with the intention of causing bodily injury to any person, and the bodily injury intended to be inflicted is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death; or
- (d) if the person committing the act knows that it is so imminently dangerous that it must in all probability cause death, or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, and commits such act without any excuse for incurring the risk of causing death, or such injury as aforesaid.
- The penalty for committing murder is death.
- Attempt to commit suicide – Whoever attempts to commit suicide, shall be punished with imprisonment for up to one year, or a fine, or both.
Hurt
- Voluntarily causing hurt – The penalty for voluntarily causing hurt is imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine of up to S$1,000, or both.
- Voluntarily causing grievous hurt –Whoever voluntarily causes hurt, if the hurt which he intends to cause or knows himself to be likely to cause is grievous hurt, and if the hurt which he causes is grievous hurt, is said "voluntarily to cause grievous hurt". The punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt is imprisonment of up to seven years, and also fine or caning.
Criminal force and assault
- Criminal force – A person uses criminal force when he or she intentionally uses force to the other person, without that person’s consent.
- The penalty for using criminal force to another person is imprisonment for up to three months, or a fine of up to S$500, or both.
- Assault – Whoever makes any gesture or any preparation, knowing it to be likely that it will cause any person to apprehend and that he who makes that gesture or preparation is about to use criminal force to that person, is said to commit an assault. The penalty for assault is the same as that for using criminal force.
- Assault or use of criminal force with intent to outrage modesty – This person would be punished with imprisonment for up to two years, or a fine, or caning, or any two of such punishments.
- If a person purposely physically or mentally damages the other person, the punishment is imprisonment of not less than two years and not more than ten years with caning. If the offence is committed in a lift in any building, or against any person under 14 years of age, the punishment is imprisonment for not less than three years and not more than ten years and caning.
Kidnapping, abduction, slavery and forced labour
- Kidnapping – There are two kinds of kidnapping: kidnapping from Singapore, and kidnapping from lawful guardianship. A person who is kidnapped from Singapore when he or she is conveyed beyond the limits of Singapore without his or her consent.
- Whoever takes or entices any minor under 14 years of age if a male, or under 16 years of age if a female, or any person of unsound mind, is said to kidnap such minor or person from lawful guardianship.
- The punishment for kidnapping from Singapore or kidnapping from lawful guardianship is imprisonment for up to ten years, and a fine or caning. It may be noted that under the Kidnapping Act, it is an offence to abduct or wrongfully restrain or wrongfully confine a person with intent to hold that person for ransom. The penalty is death or imprisonment for life; if the offender is not sentenced to death, he or she is also liable to caning.
Rape
- Rape -The penalty for rape is imprisonment for up to 20 years, and also a fine or caning. When a man, trying to rape, injures a women or any other person. He shall be punished with imprisonment for not less than eight years and not more than 20 years and shall also be punished with not less than 12 strokes of the cane.
Any person who has carnal connection with any girl below the age of 16 years except by way of marriage is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment of up to five years and a fine not exceeding S$10,000.
- Incest – Incest is committed when —
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- A man who commits incest shall be punished with imprisonment of up to five years, and if the woman is found to be under 14 years the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of up to 14 years. A woman who commits incest shall be punished with imprisonment of up to five years.
Outrages on decency
Sections 377 and 377A of the Penal Code
- Outrages on decency – Any male person who, in public or private, commits (or abets) the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for up to two years.
Offences affecting property
Robbery and gang-robbery
- Robbery – Theft is a robbery when a thief causes another person mental or physical injury while committing theft.
- The penalty for robbery is imprisonment for not less than two years and not more than ten years, and caning of not less than six strokes; if the robbery is committed after 7:00 p.m. and before 7:00 a.m. the offender shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than 14 years, and also caning with not less than 12 strokes.
- Gang-robbery – five or more persons
- –The penalty for gang-robbery is imprisonment for not less than five years and not more than 20 years, and also caning with not less than 12 strokes.
Criminal breach of trust
- Criminal breach of trust –This occurs when a person misuses any property entrusted to him/ her by the actual owner. The penalty is imprisonment for up to three years, or a fine, or both. .
Cheating
- Cheating – This occurs when a person deceives the other person to obtain any property illegally. Cheating is punished with imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine, or both..
Mischief
Criminal trespass.
- House-breaking – this is committed by a person who commits criminal trespass by entering into any place used as human dwelling, or any building used as a place for worship or as a place for the custody of property.
- The penalty for house-breaking is imprisonment of up to two years, and potentially also a fine.
Defamation
- Defamation – A person criminally defames another person when he/ she, by using any means possible, intends to harm the reputation of another person.
- The punishment for defamation is imprisonment of up to two years, or with a fine, or both.
Criminal intimidation, insult and annoyance
- Criminal intimidation – The penalty is imprisonment of up to two years, or with a fine, or with both. If the threat is to cause death or grievous hurt, or to cause the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause an offence punishable with death or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years or more, or impute unchastity to a woman, the punishment is imprisonment of up to seven years, or with a fine, or with both.
- Word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman – upon doing this, the accused shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year, or with a fine, or with both.
- Misconduct in public by a drunken person – Whoever misconducts himself in a manner to cause annoyance to person outside, shall be punished with imprisonment of up to ten days, or with a fine which may extend to S$10, or with both..
- Punishment for Drink driving;
- If you are caught drink driving for the first time, you will be fined up to $5000 or 6 months imprisonment and your license revoked.
- For a second time offender, you will be fined up to $10 000 and imprisonment up to 1 year and your license revoked.
- Subsequently, the court will enhance punishment up to 3 times the penalty- $30 000 fine and up to 3 years imprisonment and your license revoked.
- Offenders causing death or serious injuries can also be caned up to 6 strokes.
