Man sentenced to death via Zoom call
In a first death sentence issued of its kind, a man has been sentenced over a Zoom call. The extreme measure has been taken in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown that has barred any public gathering from taking place in most parts of the world.
Punithan Genasan, is a 37-year-old Malaysian, who has been sentenced to death in Singapore for his role in a 2011 heroin transaction. The sentencing was done by the Supreme Court of Singapore.
“For the safety of all involved in the proceedings, the hearing for Public Prosecutor v Punithan A/L Genasan was conducted by video-conferencing,” a spokesperson for Singapore’s Supreme Court said.
This is the first time in the history of the country where a person has been sentenced to death by remote hearing.
Ganesan's lawyer, Peter Fernando, said his client received the judge’s verdict on a Zoom call and is considering an appeal.
