DAN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
Outcome
Appeal dismissedwe dismissed the appeals and exercised our discretion to enhance the sentence for the culpable homicide charge to a term of life imprisonment.
Source: [2025] SGCA 45, Court of Appeal, decided 19 September 2025. Read directly from the judgment.
Key facts
| Court | Court of Appeal |
|---|---|
| Decided | |
| Judges | Judith Prakash, Steven Chong, Sundaresh Menon |
| Charges / claim | Criminal Procedure and Sentencing |
| Outcome | Appeal dismissed |
| Sentence / award | life imprisonment |
Source: [2025] SGCA 45, Court of Appeal, decided — eLitigation. Updated .
Catchwords
Practice Areas
Parties (2)
Case Significance
[2025] SGCA 45 is a Court of Appeal decision dated 19 September 2025 concerning Criminal Procedure and Sentencing, specifically addressing sentencing. The judgment was delivered by Sundaresh Menon, with Judith Prakash and Steven Chong on the coram. The case was brought by DAN (appellant) against Public Prosecutor (respondent). The judgment cites 27 cases and references 3 statutory provisions, including the Children and Young Persons Act, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Penal Code.
[2025] SGCA 45 explained
DAN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR ([2025] SGCA 45) is a Singapore judgment decided by the Court of Appeal on 19 September 2025. It is categorised under Criminal Procedure and Sentencing. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.
What is [2025] SGCA 45 about?
DAN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR ([2025] SGCA 45) is a Court of Appeal decision from 2025. Its published catchwords are “Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Whether maximum sentence of life imprisonment justified — Whether worst type of cases of culpable homicide — Section 304(a) Penal Code (Cap 224, 2008 Rev Ed)” and “Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Sentencing — Whether maximum sentence of four years’ imprisonment justified — Whether worst type of cases of ill-treatment — Section 5 Children and Young Persons Act (Cap 38, 2001 Rev Ed)”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.
Which legislation does [2025] SGCA 45 consider?
The judgment refers to Children and Young Persons Act (Cap 38), Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68), and Penal Code (Cap 224). The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.
What earlier Singapore cases does [2025] SGCA 45 cite?
Among the in-corpus authorities it refers to are [2024] SGHC 250. The complete list of cases cited, and of later cases that cite this decision, is shown on this page.
Summary
A father who brutally abused his two young children over two years — confining them naked in cramped spaces for months and starving them — appealed against his aggregate sentence of 34.5 years' imprisonment and six months in lieu of caning after pleading guilty to culpable homicide (his five-year-old daughter died from severe abuse) and four charges of child ill-treatment. The Prosecution cross-appealed for life imprisonment on the culpable homicide charge and the maximum four years on each ill-treatment charge. The Court of Appeal enhanced the sentence to life imprisonment for culpable homicide and the maximum four years for each ill-treatment charge.
What was decided in [2025] SGCA 45?
[2025] SGCA 45 (DAN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR) is a Court of Appeal decision from 19 September 2025 addressing Criminal Procedure and Sentencing, specifically sentencing. The judgment was delivered by Sundaresh Menon.
Who were the parties in DAN v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR ([2025] SGCA 45)?
The appellant in [2025] SGCA 45 was DAN, and the respondent was Public Prosecutor. The case was decided on 19 September 2025 in the Court of Appeal.
Which judge decided [2025] SGCA 45?
[2025] SGCA 45 was delivered by Sundaresh Menon in the Court of Appeal on 19 September 2025. Judith Prakash and Steven Chong also sat on the coram. The case concerned Criminal Procedure and Sentencing.
What cases and statutes does [2025] SGCA 45 cite?
[2025] SGCA 45 cites 27 prior decisions. It references Children and Young Persons Act, Criminal Procedure Code, Penal Code.
Statutes Cited
Cases Cited (27)
Related cases
Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.
Referenced in
Statutes interpreted in this judgment
Sentencing outcomes for this offence
Judgment
Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.
Read on eLitigationSource: eLitigation ([2025] SGCA 45)