with the police and his contribution to the arrest of the principal offender Sim, he nonetheless stated that the crimes were brutal and a harsh punishment should be imposed to reflect the gravity and severity of the offences. Justice Lai pointed out that based on Beh's confession, the other evidence and the common intention he shared with the two men to commit the fatal robberies, Beh would have been held guilty of murder in the eyes of law regardless of whether he took part in the stabbing or not. Justice Lai personally addressed to Beh that he was very fortunate that the charges of murder were reduced, such that he would not face the death penalty as a result of the prosecution's exercise of their prerogative to proceed with the amended charges. As such, Justice Lai imposed the maximum term of life imprisonment with four strokes of the cane for each of the double charges of manslaughter, and the maximum term of ten years with ten strokes of the cane for each of the double armed robbery charges. In total, 24-year-old Beh Meng Chai received two life sentences and two ten-year sentences, as well as a total of 28 strokes of the cane. However, the judge ordered that Beh should serve all his four jail terms concurrently, and he noted that the law restricts a convict from receiving more than the maximum of 24 strokes in a single trial. As a result, Beh’s number of cane strokes was reduced from the original 28 strokes to 24 strokes, and he would only serve a single term of life imprisonment behind bars. By the laws of Singapore back in 1984, life imprisonment was considered as a jail term of twenty years with the usual one-third remission for good behaviour, before the landmark appeal of Abdul Nasir Amer Hamsah on 20 August 1997 led to the definition of life imprisonment being changed to a sentence that lasts the remainder of the prisoner's natural life, with effect from the day after the appeal ruling. Trial of Sim Min Teck Arguments against proceeding of murder charge On 18 March 1985, 23-year-old Sim Min Teck stood trial for the double charges of murder for killing Teo Keng Siang and Lee Cheng Tiong. Defence lawyer Edwin Chan represented Sim as his lawyer, while Glenn Knight, who earlier prosecuted Beh Meng Chai for manslaughter, was assigned as the