PhD student was drunk when he scaled fence in Pasir Panjang
A PhD student from Britain, who was in Singapore on a research attachment programme with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), died when he fell 3m from a fence in Zehnder Road.
According to a coroner’s inquest held in Durham, in northern England, Mr John William Richmond had consumed a large amount of alcohol the night before the incident on April 13, 2023.
CCTV footage showed him trying to scale the fence near 13A Zehnder Road, in Pasir Panjang, twice.
The fence collapsed on his second attempt, and the 24-year-old fell into a concrete storm ditch, where he was found by workmen the next day and pronounced dead by paramedics.
The incident was first reported by The Northern Echo in May 2023. The British daily said Mr Richmond’s body was flown home to Durham and identified by an uncle.
The Crook Coroners’ Court, in Durham, held an inquest between May 24, 2023 and July 25, 2024.
According to assistant coroner Leslie Hamilton, the University of Manchester student died from a blunt head injury.
A report from the court, sent to The Straits Times on Aug 28, showed that Mr Richmond was living in a condominium in Choa Chu Kang at the time of the incident.
On April 12, he spent the evening with friends, where a large amount of alcohol was consumed.
CCTV footage then showed him trying to climb the fence in the early hours of April 13, and fell into the concrete storm ditch on his second attempt. The report said he did not move after the fall.
Checks by ST showed that there is a large drain next to a 2m-tall fence opposite a landed property in Zehnder Road.
The fence, which sits on a raised concrete platform, surrounds the Buona Vista Gardens condominium.
The coroner’s report did not mention if Mr Richmond was alone at the time of the incident.
A post-mortem confirmed extensive fractures to the back of the skull, and Dr Hamilton ruled the death an accident while under the influence of alcohol.
A spokesperson for A*Star said Mr Richmond was attached to the agency’s Bioinformatics Institute in October 2022 under its research attachment programme, where he was involved in biomedical sciences (therapeutics) research.
As part of the attachment programme, PhD students from overseas universities spend between one and two years at A*Star research institutes under the joint supervision of the agency’s researchers and faculty members of their home universities.
Said the A*Star spokesperson: “A*Star was very sorry to learn of Mr Richmond’s death and immediately engaged with his family, coordinated the handling and shipment of his personal effects, and extended support to his colleagues and housemates in Singapore.”
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now