June 16, 2007
NSF found dead in camp: It's suicide, rules coroner
By Elena Chong
FULL-TIME national serviceman Ambrose Yeo Chang Wen - found dead at the foot of a building at Hendon Camp on Sept 18 last year - took his own life, State Coroner Ronald Gwee said yesterday.
He pointed to two SMSes Private Yeo sent, shortly before his death, to his former girlfriend in which he said he would be gone for good.
The coroner added that two superficial slashes were spotted on Pte Yeo's wrists, indicating he had tried to cut himself.
He found also Pte Yeo had not suffered any abuse from his officers, who had ordered that he be kept under guard after he confessed to stealing a cellphone from a fellow soldier. 'The officers do not appear to have over-stepped their boundaries and do not appear to have acted beyond their powers and scope of authority in the circumstances,' Coroner Gwee said.
Pte Yeo, 20, a driver with Pasir Ris Camp, was attached to Hendon Camp for two weeks when he died.
On Sept 17, he admitted to officers during questioning that he had stolen medic Benjamin Tan's phone in August, but denied involvement in the case at hand where fellow driver Chris Tan's phone was reported missing.
Pte Yeo, who had been reprimanded earlier for stealing a phone, was placed in a guardroom and scheduled to be handed over to Pasir Ris Camp at 8am the next day.
It was decided that he should be segregated from the rest to prevent any disputes.
Pte Yeo then spoke to his mother over the phone and told her in Mandarin to take care. He also called two male friends, asking them to look after his ex-girlfriend, Ms Stephanie Fong, 18, and their five-month-old baby.
Pte Yeo had the baby with Ms Fong but they broke up before they could get married.
In his first SMS to her on the night of his death, he apologised for all the wrong he had done and told her he would be 'gone for Gd'.
He told her to take good care of herself and their child, saying she was his only love.
About 30 minutes later, he SMSed her again and sought her forgiveness. He said that that was his last message.
At about 1.40am on Sept 18, sentry duty officer Low Yih Fei, 19, went for a toilet break and did not ask another guard to watch Pte Yeo.
At around 2.10am, Pte Yeo was found lying beside a four-storey building. He was pronounced dead at 3.28am.
Investigating officer Johnny Tan Beng Heng of Bedok Police Division said that, according to Pte Yeo's ex-girlfriend, he was under a lot of stress - because of finances, his family, the army, herself and the baby. Also, he owed cellphone bills of $522.
Pte Yeo's father, logistics supervisor Yeo Suan Poh, 49, and two of his five daughters, aged 11 and 24, attended the inquiry. Pte Yeo was his only son.
Colonel Benedict Lim, director of public affairs at the Defence Ministry, said in a press statement last night: 'We will take the coroner's findings and take appropriate action.'
