SINGAPORE, Oct 18 — A 55-year-old man who spent the last 12 years on the run in Malaysia, was today sentenced to 16 years' jail for the fatal stabbing of a club patron in 2010.

Lee Heng Wong, who was then 40, and serving as a bouncer and manager at a disco in Geylang, had stabbed 23-year-old Xi Wei Feng twice in the thigh and left him bleeding in a stairwell.

He immediately fled to Malaysia after Xi died later that day on February 14, 2010.

He only surrendered to the Royal Malaysian Police 12 years later on Oct 11, 2022 and was arrested on October 13, 2022, before being handed over to the Singapore Police Force on Oct 13, 2022.

Defence lawyer Josephus Tan said that Lee, who has a wife and two children in Malaysia, surrendered to the authorities for personal closure, reported ChannelNewsAsia.

Lee pleaded guilty to one count of culpable homicide under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of life imprisonment, or up to 20 years in jail with a fine and caning.

The prosecution had sought 15 to 18 years in jail, while the defence had asked for not more than 11 years imprisonment — a far cry from the original charge of murder, which is punishable by death.

On the night of the incident, Xi had become drunk and disruptive and was eventually escorted off the premises by employees at the disco after he fought with other patrons.

He later returned and confronted other patrons at a stairwell where a heated exchange took place before Xi tried to kcik one of them, lost his footing and fell down the stairs.

Lee told Xi to leave, but the latter began swearing at him.

Lee went back into the disco and got a knife, headed back to the stairwell despite the club's bartender trying to stop him and stabbed Xi twice in the left thigh and left him to bleed to death as he returned to work.

Xi was still lying in the stairwell in a pool of blood when he was discovered by an investor of the disco, who attempted to help him with the help of a bouncer from another club.

Emergency services were then called but it was too late.

The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy said that the cause of death was primarily bleeding, and that death would have taken "a considerable time”.

"It may have been possible to save (Mr Xi's) life if prompt surgical attention with blood replacement had taken place.”

Lee left his place of work at about 4am, and saw the duo tend to Xi. He only learnt that Xi had died in the morning, and chose to flee to Malaysia.