Indian-origin man escapes gallows in Singapore

A second man on death row for drug trafficking in Singapore has escaped the gallows after the high court ruled that he had only been acting as a courier, a media report said Monday.

Instead, 30-year-old Subashkaran Pragasam has been sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane, reports Channel Newsasia television.

Under amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act last year, judges no longer have to impose the death penalty for certain types of homicide and drug trafficking offences, it said.

The Attorney-General's Chambers certified that Subashkaran had substantively assisted the Central Narcotics Bureau to disrupt drug-trafficking activities.

The first to escape the death penalty after being convicted of drug trafficking was Malaysian Yong Vui Kong. He had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment in November last year.