A 22-year-old man in Singapore has received a 17-month jail sentence for his role in a violent street altercation that resulted in a young man's death. Pradave Shashi Kumar pleaded guilty on Tuesday to voluntarily causing hurt using a dangerous weapon—specifically, a chair he wielded during the assault. The fatal incident unfolded along Kitchener Road on September 22, 2024, when a chaotic brawl between two groups escalated into a lethal confrontation.
The victim, Dhinessh Vasie, was only 25 years old when he succumbed to injuries sustained during the melee. Court proceedings revealed that Dhinessh was fatally stabbed in the heart, with the knife wound proving catastrophic despite his attempts to flee the scene. The case has drawn significant attention to street violence in Singapore's entertainment districts, where late-night outings occasionally spiral into dangerous situations with tragic consequences.
Pradave is the first of four individuals to face justice in connection with the incident. His three co-accused are Muhammad Sajid Saleem, 24, who stands charged with murder; and Satish Jason Prabhas and Kirrthik Roshan Prem Ananth, both 23, facing rioting allegations. The varying charges reflect different degrees of culpability as prosecutors assess each man's role in the violence. The progression from assault charges to murder charges among the group underscores how a single violent encounter can result in dramatically different legal consequences depending on individual actions.
According to evidence presented to the court, the confrontation originated from a night out that began innocuously enough. Pradave, Sajid, Satish, Kirrthik, and two women departed from a club located in Golden Mile Tower around 4 in the morning, travelling by private-hire vehicle to a pub on Sam Leong Road to continue drinking. The group had no apparent prior connection to the individuals they would encounter in the early hours of that September morning, suggesting the violence erupted spontaneously from a chance encounter.
As they walked through a back alley near their destination, the group encountered another gathering consisting of eight men engaged in a heated argument with three women. Dhinessh was part of this larger group. Deputy Public Prosecutor Jonathan Tan outlined how the situation deteriorated when Satish engaged in a verbal exchange with one of the eight men, which quickly turned physical. This initial skirmish between Satish and another individual proved to be the spark that ignited broader violence involving multiple participants from both groups.
The altercation rapidly expanded beyond the initial two combatants, drawing in Pradave and other members of both groups. As the confrontation intensified, Dhinessh's group began retreating toward the back alley, moving in the direction of Verdun Road. Witnesses later reported observing Sajid holding a small knife with a 7.5-centimetre blade positioned downward in his right hand. The presence of the weapon evidently alarmed Dhinessh and his companions, who attempted to flee the scene.
Their escape attempt proved futile. Pradave, Sajid, Satish, and Kirrthik pursued the fleeing group, eventually catching up to them. During the chase, Sajid wielded his knife against Dhinessh and two others, slashing at them as they ran. When Dhinessh reached a coffee shop situated at the intersection of Verdun Road and Sam Leong Road, his pace slowed and he eventually stopped, perhaps exhausted or injured. This pause allowed Sajid to catch up, at which point Sajid allegedly drove his knife into Dhinessh's upper back with considerable force.
What followed represented an apparent transition from a knife attack to a coordinated assault using improvised weapons. Kirrthik seized a chair from the coffee shop and reportedly used it to strike Dhinessh repeatedly. Pradave, the man now sentenced, then picked up a second chair and struck Dhinessh's head and chest with significant force on two separate occasions. Throughout this sustained assault, Dhinessh remained slumped over and offered no resistance, according to the prosecutor's account. The image of an injured, defenceless man being battered by multiple attackers wielding furniture illustrates the brutal nature of the violence.
Following the assault, the four men abandoned the scene and walked toward City Square Mall, apparently attempting to distance themselves from the crime. Police and paramedics arrived shortly after, but Dhinessh's injuries proved fatal. The authorities moved quickly, apprehending Pradave at approximately 5:15 in the morning on the same day. His sentencing to 17 months imprisonment represents the judicial system's assessment that while his actions constituted a serious assault with a weapon, the circumstances differed from the murder charge levelled against Sajid, whose knife inflicted the ultimately fatal wound.
The offence of voluntarily causing hurt using a dangerous weapon carries substantial penalties under Singapore law, with convicted individuals potentially facing up to seven years imprisonment, fines, corporal punishment through caning, or a combination thereof. Pradave's 17-month sentence falls well below the maximum, suggesting the court considered mitigating factors despite the serious nature of his actions and the tragic outcome. The case serves as a sobering reminder of how street violence, particularly in entertainment districts during late-night hours, can escalate rapidly from verbal confrontation to fatal consequences, with multiple individuals potentially facing lengthy incarceration for their respective roles in the tragedy.
