TAN WEI WEN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

[2023] SGCA 34 Court of Appeal 30 October 2023 CA/CM 7/2023 · CA/CM 8/2023 · CA/CCA 1/2023

7 cases cited (6 SG, 1 foreign)

Key facts

Court	Court of Appeal
Decided	30 October 2023
Judges	Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Judith Prakash, Tay Yong Kwang
Charges / claim	Criminal Procedure and Sentencing
Counsel	Attorney-General's Chambers, David Menon

Source: [2023] SGCA 34, Court of Appeal, decided 30 October 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Appeal Criminal Procedure and Sentencing – Criminal references Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Reopening concluded decisions

Practice Areas

Criminal Procedure and Sentencing

Judges (3)

Belinda Ang Saw Ean Coram Judith Prakash Coram Tay Yong Kwang Delivered

Counsel (2)

Attorney-General's Chambers Firm David Menon Counsel for the respondent

Parties (2)

Public Prosecutor Respondent

Tan Wei Wen Applicant

Case Significance

Tan Wei Wen v Public Prosecutor [2023] SGCA 34 is a grounds of decision of the Court of Appeal, comprising Judith Prakash JCA, Tay Yong Kwang JCA and Belinda Ang JCA, with Tay Yong Kwang JCA delivering the judgment of the court on 30 October 2023 in Criminal Appeal No 1 of 2023 (Criminal Motions Nos 7 and 8 of 2023). The applicant, a litigant in person, filed two applications: CA/CM 7/2023, seeking an extension of time to file a notice and petition of appeal, and CA/CM 8/2023, seeking permission to reopen a concluded case. The applications related to Vincent Hoong J's decision in the applicant's earlier High Court appeal, MA 9129, and raised issues of criminal references and reopening concluded decisions.

Summary

Tan Wei Wen, a litigant in person, filed applications in the Court of Appeal seeking an extension of time and permission to reopen a concluded case relating to charges of insulting the modesty of a woman under s 509 of the Penal Code, following a High Court judge's decision on his appeal from the District Court. The court held there is only one tier of appeal in criminal matters and that no further question of law arose, dismissing all the applications.

What was Tan Wei Wen v Public Prosecutor [2023] SGCA 34 about?

It concerned two applications by Tan Wei Wen, a litigant in person, before the Court of Appeal, seeking an extension of time to file an appeal and permission to reopen a concluded case relating to a High Court decision, decided on 30 October 2023.

Who heard the applications in [2023] SGCA 34?

The Court of Appeal comprised Judith Prakash JCA, Tay Yong Kwang JCA and Belinda Ang JCA, with Tay Yong Kwang JCA delivering the judgment of the court, addressing criminal references and the reopening of concluded decisions.