A teenager who shoved two people on Hobart’s waterfront into the river, resulting in a man’s drowning death, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Deepinderjeet Singh was sitting with a woman near Franklin Wharf in late January 2024 when a 17-year-old boy pushed the pair into the water and stole the woman’s handbag.
Neither knew how to swim, but while the woman was able to cling to a nearby railing, Mr Singh drowned.
He was a 27-year-old from India who studied at the University of Tasmania and was remembered by friends and colleagues as a “kind-hearted” and “happy” person.
Four people, including three teenagers and an adult, were arrested over the incident and charged with aggravated robbery, while the 17-year-old boy was also charged with manslaughter.
Now aged 19, and unable to be named for legal reasons, he appeared in the Supreme Court in Hobart on Friday and pleaded guilty to both charges.
The prosecution argued the brazenness of the crime meant it should be placed on the serious end of manslaughter, while the defence counsel said sending him to an adult prison would undo his rehabilitation.
Deepinderjeet ‘Deep’ Singh was remembered as a “kind-hearted” and “happy” person. (Supplied)
Offenders ‘laughing’ after push, court hears
Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Avery told the court Mr Singh and the woman were on a first date at the time of the incident, after meeting online.
They were sitting on the edge of the wharf and at one point discussed what they would do if they fell in, as neither could swim.
Ms Avery said the offender was in a group of four people sitting nearby, and discussed shoving the pair into the water and stealing the handbag.
The court heard that when the pair were pushed into the water, the woman was able to get to a nearby railing and pull herself out.
Multiple bystanders tried to rescue Mr Singh, but he was found unresponsive in the water and an autopsy later confirmed he drowned, the court heard.
Floral tributes were left at Franklin Wharf in Hobart following Deepinderjeet Singh’s death. (ABC News: Madeleine Rojahn)
Ms Avery said that after the push, the group left with the handbag and “one or two of them were laughing as they ran off”.
The court heard that later that night, the group travelled to the Kmart store in New Town, where some of them purchased items using a credit card from the woman’s handbag.
The total cost of the purchases totalled more than $200 and the items included neon clothing, LED lights, a Bluey book, a compact shaver and snack food, the court heard.
Ms Avery said it was around this time the group learned from social media that Mr Singh had died at the scene and they began to panic.
After viewing CCTV of the incident, police conducted multiple searches the next day and ultimately arrested the four offenders.
At the time of his appearance in the Supreme Court this week, the teenager who pushed Mr Singh had been in custody at a youth detention centre for nearly 600 days.
The teenager appeared in the Supreme Court in Hobart on Friday. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)
Incident ‘didn’t occur out of the blue’, prosecution argues
Ms Avery told the court the teenager had a number of previous run-ins with police, which she said showed he was engaging in an “escalation” of bad behaviour at the time of the incident.
Ms Avery said the push “didn’t occur out of the blue” and the offender should not be given the benefit of being considered “otherwise a person of good character”.
After giving Chief Justice Christopher Shanahan a victim impact statement written by Mr Singh’s father in India, she argued that a term of imprisonment would be “appropriate”.
Ms Avery said the incident occurred in a busy, public place and argued it should be categorised as serious, and that the absence of a weapon was “simply not mitigating”.
“The state accepts the consequences were not directly intended … but it remains a serious example [of manslaughter],” Ms Avery said.
“It’s evident from the facts he played a greater role in the offence than the other offenders.”
Mr Singh’s body was pulled from the water near Franklin Wharf in Hobart. (
ABC News: Daniel Miller
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Defence says teenager has resolved to turn his life around
Defence counsel Philippa Willshire told the court the teenager had resolved to turn his life around and become a positive influence to those around him.
She said he understood the “devastating and enduring impact” he had caused the victim’s family and said he had “responded well to rehabilitation”.
“He has been grateful for the [rehabilitation] opportunities and has not squandered them,” Ms Willshire said.
“This is reflected in his general attitude, including respect and politeness.”
Ms Willshire said the offender had “no knowledge or appreciation” that his action was likely to cause death.
In response, Chief Justice Shanahan said it was “commonly known” that there are parts of the world where people are rarely able to swim and India was “one of those places”.
Ms Willshire said she had “significant concerns” the rehabilitation efforts would be “unravelled” if the teenager was made to serve time in an adult prison.
The 19-year-old was supported by about six friends and family members in the courtroom on Friday.
Chief Justice Shanahan is expected to sentence the teenager in November.