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An Australian man was sentenced to five and a half years in prison on Friday by a Singapore court for killing an elderly Singaporean man and injuring his wife with a thrown wine bottle, which the judge described as an act of religious hostility toward Muslims. Andrew Gosling was indicted of “causing death and grievous hurt by a rash act” in 2019 after hurling a wine bottle at a group of individuals two storeys below him, striking and killing a 73-year-old man. The vial ricocheted and injured the man’s wife’s shoulder. “I agree with the litigation that the current offence involves an element of religious hostility toward Muslims,” said Judge Victor Yeo.
“Such offences have the potential to seriously undermine Singapore’s racial and religious harmony, and they must not be tolerated and must be dealt with harshly.”
Singapore is a multiracial country of 5.5 million people, with a Muslim population of about 16% and larger Buddhist and Christian communities. According to the 2020 census, it has a predominantly Chinese population with significant Malay and Indian minorities. The victims have been identified as Malay Muslims of ethnic Malay origin.
According to the court, Gosling admitted during the investigation that he was “angry and upset” about Islamic militant attacks in Bali and Melbourne that killed many Australians, and that he wanted to “startle” the group after identifying them as Muslims.
Prosecutors claimed Gosling, who was 49 at the time of the crime, fled while shouting “crude, religiously charged vulgarities” about Muslims.
His actions had the “broader impact of causing unease in Singapore, particularly amongst the broader Muslim population,” according to the prosecution, and demonstrated religious hostility.
Throughout the majority of Friday’s hearing, Gosling, who had pleaded guilty, stared straight ahead but briefly turned around to look at his parents, who were in court.
According to Gosling’s lawyers, alcohol may have impairing his judgement, citing a psychiatric report, and his act is unlikely to be religiously motivated. They also stated that he intends to appeal the sentence.
The prison sentence will begin retroactively from August 2019, when Gosling was apprehended.
