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Murder of Lim Lee Tin

SOLVED1989Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery, Singapore3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On the morning of 28 January 1989, the body of 26-year-old Lim Lee Tin was discovered in a drain at Choa Chu Kang Christian cemetery, a Chinese cemetery in Singapore. Lim, a Chinese Singaporean who often dressed and behaved in a masculine manner and was known to friends as "Jack," had left her family's Ang Mo Kio flat the previous afternoon and was last known to have received a phone call from an acquaintance that evening. Police investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department, led by Inspector T. Maniam, took charge of the case. Forensic pathologist Wee Keng Poh found seven knife wounds on the body, five of which were fatal, and determined during autopsy that Lim had female sex organs, a fact confirmed by her family, who said she had long presented as male and used binding to conceal her figure.

Investigations led police to Chin Seow Noi, a 29-year-old Malaysian housewife who had gambled with Lim and rented a room in the same flat as Lim's family in 1988. Chin was arrested on 1 February 1989 and confessed that she had asked two men to "get rid of" Lim, who she said had harassed her for money over an extended period. Chin's brother, Chin Yaw Kim, a 27-year-old insurance agent, was arrested in Johor, Malaysia, on 4 February 1989 and extradited to Singapore. Chin Seow Noi was charged with abetment of murder on 3 February 1989, and Chin Yaw Kim was charged with murder on 7 February 1989. A third suspect, 25-year-old Ng Kim Heng, evaded capture in Malaysia for over two years before being apprehended on 20 July 1991 and handed to Singaporean authorities.

At trial in the High Court beginning 28 September 1992, prosecutors presented testimony from Lim's family and friends alongside confessions from all three accused, though the men gave differing accounts of who inflicted the fatal stab wounds. All three defendants disputed the confessions' implications during proceedings and exercised their right to remain silent in their defence. On 9 October 1992, Judicial Commissioner Amarjeet Singh found the prosecution's case persuasive, particularly citing forensic evidence that contradicted Chin Yaw Kim's account of the stabbing, and convicted all three of murder or abetment of murder. Singh sentenced each to death, the mandatory penalty for murder under Singapore law.

The trio appealed, and in May 1993, Singapore's Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals, affirming the convictions and issuing a significant ruling on the admissibility of a co-accused's confession as sole evidence for conviction. Amnesty International appealed to the Singapore government for clemency in February 1994. All three convicted persons were hanged at Changi Prison on 31 March 1995. The appellate ruling in the case, Chin Seow Noi and Others v Public Prosecutor, later influenced subsequent Singapore capital cases regarding the use of co-accused testimony.

Key facts

Victims
Lim Lee Tin
Date
1989
Location
Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery, Singapore
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1987

    Lim Lee Tin is introduced to Chin Seow Noi at a gambling den by a mutual friend.

  2. 1988-02

    Chin Seow Noi rents a room at the flat where Lim Lee Tin's family lives.

  3. 1988-10-08

    Chin Seow Noi holds her formal wedding to Siew See Kow; Lim reportedly continues to seek contact with her.

  4. 1989-01-27

    Lim Lee Tin leaves her family's Ang Mo Kio flat in the afternoon and is last known to have received a phone call that evening; she is killed later that night.

  5. 1989-01-28

    Lim Lee Tin's body is found in a drain at Choa Chu Kang Christian cemetery.

  6. 1989-02-01

    Chin Seow Noi is arrested at her Jurong East flat and confesses to hiring men to "get rid of" Lim.

  7. 1989-02-03

    Chin Seow Noi is charged with abetment of murder.

  8. 1989-02-04

    Chin Yaw Kim is arrested in Johor, Malaysia, by the Royal Malaysia Police.

  9. 1989-02-07

    Chin Yaw Kim is charged with murder.

  10. 1991-07-20

    Ng Kim Heng is apprehended by Malaysian authorities after evading capture and is handed to Singapore police.

  11. 1992-09-28

    Trial of Chin Seow Noi, Chin Yaw Kim, and Ng Kim Heng begins in the High Court.

  12. 1992-10-08

    Judicial Commissioner Amarjeet Singh rules the confessions admissible and finds a prima facie case against all three defendants.

  13. 1992-10-09

    Amarjeet Singh convicts all three defendants and sentences them to death.

  14. 1993-05

    The Court of Appeal dismisses the trio's appeals and affirms the convictions and sentences.

  15. 1994-02

    Amnesty International appeals to the Singapore government for clemency for the three convicted persons.

  16. 1995-03-31

    Chin Seow Noi, Chin Yaw Kim, and Ng Kim Heng are hanged at Changi Prison.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • T. Maniam

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    CID Inspector who led the initial murder investigation

    citation on file

  • Chin Yaw Kim

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder; sentenced to death and hanged 31 March 1995

    citation on file

  • Lim Lee Tin

    VICTIM

    26-year-old Chinese Singaporean found stabbed to death on 28 January 1989

    citation on file

  • Chin Seow Noi

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of abetment of murder; sentenced to death and hanged 31 March 1995

    citation on file

  • Ng Kim Heng

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder; sentenced to death and hanged 31 March 1995

    citation on file

Places

Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery, Singapore

1.3843, 103.7442

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 28 January 1989, 26-year-old Lim Lee Tin was found stabbed to death in a drain at a Choa Chu Kang cemetery in Singapore. Three Malaysian nationals — Chin Seow Noi, her brother Chin Yaw Kim, and their friend Ng Kim Heng — were convicted of the murder and hanged in 1995.
Where did the murder happen?
Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery, Singapore.
Who was convicted?
Chin Yaw Kim (Convicted of murder; sentenced to death and hanged 31 March 1995), Chin Seow Noi (Convicted of abetment of murder; sentenced to death and hanged 31 March 1995), and Ng Kim Heng (Convicted of murder; sentenced to death and hanged 31 March 1995).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Murder of Lim Lee Tinwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage of the Lim Lee Tin murder casenews · eresources.nlb.gov.sg · 2026-07-07
  3. Case brief: Norasharee bin Gousnews · transformativejusticecollective.org · 2026-07-07
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