''True Files'' (

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: 真实档案) is an

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

docu-

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

telecast on MediaCorp Channel 5, with each episode (except the last episode of Season 3, ''The Unsolved'') re-enacting major court proceedings, mostly of murder, in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. When the inaugural season was telecast in 2002, its first episode was re-slotted to be telecast later, when numerous public feedback was received by the station complaining that it was too graphic after watching trailers for the pilot episode. The show was also pushed back to a 10 p.m. time slot from the fourth episode onwards as a result. Nonetheless, the hype helped the show to enjoy favourable viewership ratings. Over five years, a total of five seasons had been telecasted, with the final season airing in 2007. The show was hosted and narrated by veteran actor

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from Seasons 1 to 4. In Season 5, the host is

Tay Ping Hui Tay Ping Hui (born 10 November 1970) is a Singaporean actor and director. In 2014, Tay made his directorial debut with the basketball film ''Meeting the Giant''. Early life Tay attended Catholic High School (Primary and Secondary) and Catho ...

, and the narration is done by Brian Richmond. Currently, the show is viewable on

meWATCH meWATCH is a Singaporean digital video on demand service brand owned by Mediacorp. It was launched on 1 February 2013 as an over-the-top media service and an entertainment and lifestyle website Toggle. On 1 April 2015, xinmsn, an internet port ...

(previously named

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). 60 out of 62 episodes (except for The Bukit Merah Maid Trial and Girl Thrown To Her Death episodes) is available on the said website from 5 February 2016 onwards.

Episodes

Season 1 (Thursdays, 10.00 p.m. (Tuesdays, 8:30 p.m. for 1st to 3rd episodes)

*1. (23 April 2002): Gold Bars Triple Murders (Public Prosecutor v Chou Hock Guan Andrew and Others) (See:

Gold Bars Triple Murders On 29 December 1971, 55-year-old businessman and gold bar smuggler Ngo Cheng Poh, together with his two employees Ang Boon Chai, 57, and Leong Chin Woo, 51, were murdered by a group of 10 men. The group had also robbed the three men of 120 gold b ...

) *2. (30 April 2002): The Trial of Mimi Wong (Public Prosecutor v

Mimi Wong Wong Weng Siu (黄婉秀 huáng wǎnxìu; – 27 July 1973), more commonly known as Mimi Wong, was a Singaporean bar hostess who became the first woman to be sentenced to death for murder in Singapore since its independence. Wong was alleged t ...

alias Wong Weng Siu and Sim Woh Kum alias Sim Wor Kum) (See:

and Sim Woh Kum) *3. (7 May 2002): Cries of A Child (Public Prosecutor v Ng Cha Boo) *4. (16 May 2002): The Trial of Adrian Lim (Public Prosecutor v Adrian Lim and Others) (See:

Toa Payoh Ritual Murders The Toa Payoh ritual murders took place in Singapore in 1981. On 25 January, the body of a nine-year-old girl was found at a block of public housing flats in the town of Toa Payoh, and two weeks later, the body of a ten-year-old boy was ...

) *5. (23 May 2002): Who Killed Winnie Spencer? (Public Prosecutor v Joseph Michael Nonis) *6. (30 May 2002): The Tenant (Public Prosecutor v Michael Tan Teow and Another) *7. (6 June 2002): The Trial of Sunny Ang (Public Prosecutor v Sunny Ang) (See:

Sunny Ang Sunny Ang Soo Suan (; – 6 February 1967), alias Anthony Ang, was a Singaporean racing driver and part-time law student who gained notoriety for the alleged murder of his girlfriend Jenny Cheok Cheng Kid near Sisters' Islands. Ang was charged ...

) *8. (13 June 2002): The Sentry (Public Prosecutor v Ong Hwee Kuan and Others) (See: Lee Kim Lai) *9. (20 June 2002): The Paedophile (Public Prosecutor v Lim Hock Hin Kelvin) *10. (4 July 2002): The Horror! (Public Prosecutor v Ong Li Xia and Another

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SGHC 149) *11. (11 July 2002): Trusting Your Killer (Public Prosecutor v Shaiful Edham bin Adam and Another 998SGHC 364) (See: Murder of Iordanka Apostolova) *12. (18 July 2002): Murder For Coins (Public Prosecutor v Lau Lee Peng

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Books * ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: T ...

SGHC 315) (See:

1998 Tampines flat murder On 26 August 1998, 50-year-old Tan Eng Yan (陈英燕 Chén Yīngyàn), a fruit stall assistant working at a market in Tampines, was found brutally murdered at the toilet of her Tampines flat. Tan, also known as Lily or Tan Ah Leng, was stabbed an ...

) *13. (25 July 2002): The Burnt Body Case (Public Prosecutor v Ramu Annadavascan and Another) *14. (1 August 2002): Tourist From Hell (Public Prosecutor v

John Martin Scripps John Martin (born John Martin Scripps, 9 December 1959 – 19 April 1996) was an English spree killer who murdered three tourists—Gerard Lowe in Singapore, and Sheila and Darin Damude in Thailand—with another three unconfirmed victims. He p ...

)

Season 2 (Tuesdays, 10.00 p.m.)

*1. (26 August 2003): Murder He Wrote (CC 59/2001 - Public Prosecutor v Anthony Ler Wee Teang and Another) (See:

Anthony Ler Anthony Ler Wee Teang ( – 13 December 2002) was a Singaporean convicted murderer who hired a youth to murder his wife, 30-year-old real-estate agent Annie Leong Wai Mun, who was in the midst of a divorce with him. Ler's motive was to become ...

) *2. (2 September 2003): Triple Murder (Public Prosecutor v Sek Kim Wah) (See: Andrew Road triple murders) *3. (9 September 2003): Maid Abused To Death (CC 39/2002 - Public Prosecutor v Ng Hua Chye) (See:

Killing of Muawanatul Chasanah On 2 December 2001, a 19-year-old Indonesian maid, Muawanatul Chasanah, was found beaten to death in a house by the Bedok Reservoir, Singapore. Her killer was Ng Hua Chye, a tour guide and Chasanah's employer. Ng's wife, Tan Chai Hong, was also ...

) *4. (16 September 2003): The School Bus Driver (CC 23/1991 - Public Prosecutor v Oh Laye Koh) (See:

Murder of Liang Shan Shan Liang Shan Shan ( – 2 October 1989; ) was a 17-year-old Malaysian schoolgirl who was reported missing in Singapore on 2 October 1989. Liang was found dead nearly two weeks later at Yishun Industrial Park, where her highly decomposed body was d ...

) *5. (23 September 2003): Murder Of Inspector T. Maniam (CC 59/1999 - Public Prosecutor v Loganatha Venkatesan and Others) (See:

Murder of T. Maniam On the early morning of 21 April 1999, a 55-year-old former police officer named T. Maniam was ambushed by two men who used weapons to brutally beat him to death on the road between his house and his neighbour's home in Phoenix Garden, Singapore ...

) *6. (30 September 2003): The Duck Den Murder (CC 53/1997 - Public Prosecutor v Lim Chin Chong) (See:

Duck Den murder On 20 June 1997, a 65-year-old Singaporean and retiree Low Cheng Quee (), also known as Philip Low, was found dead inside his bedroom of his Jalan Rajah flat, where he operated a homosexual brothel, which was colloquially known as a " duck den", w ...

) *7. (7 October 2003): Murder Of Her Landlady (CC 46/1997 - Public Prosecutor v Mansoor s/o Abdullah and Others) (See: 1997 landlady murder) *8. (14 October 2003): Murder Of The Italian Lady (CC 7/1992 - Public Prosecutor v Maksa bin Tohaiee) (See: Murder of Clementina Curci) *9. (21 October 2003): Found Insane (Public Prosecutor v Neo Man Lee) *10. (28 October 2003): Child Raped (CC 29/2002 - Public Prosecutor v Peh Thian Hui and Another) *11. (4 November 2003): Jealousy Knows No Limit (CC 36/1985 - Public Prosecutor v Vasavan Sathiadew and Others) (See:

Murder of Frankie Tan On the night of 24 October 1984, a 39-year-old American Express banker, Tan Tik Siah, otherwise known as Frankie Tan, was ambushed and attacked by four men as he arrived home from work in Singapore. He was strangled to death by his assailant ...

) *12. (11 November 2003): The Male Woman (CC 6/1993 - Public Prosecutor v Chin Seow Noi and Others) (See: Murder of Lim Lee Tin) *13. (18 November 2003): The Story Of Koh Swee Beng (CC 1/1989 - Public Prosecutor v Koh Swee Beng)

Season 3 (Mondays, 10.00 p.m.)

*1. (25 October 2004): The Pulau Senang Trial (Public Prosecutor v Tan Kheng Ann and Others) *2. (1 November 2004): Rich Man, Poor Man (Public Prosecutor v Tan Freddy) *3. (8 November 2004): The Fiancée's Father (Public Prosecutor v N Govindasamy) *4. (15 November 2004): The Trial of Father Joachim Kang (Public Prosecutor v Kang Hock Chai Joachim) *5. (22 November 2004): Killed By His Mother's Lover *6. (29 November 2004): Death On Pulau Ubin (Public Prosecutor v Harun bin Ripin and Another, Mohamed Yasin bin Hussin v Public Prosecutor

976 Year 976 ( CMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 10 – Emperor John I Tzimiskes dies at Constantinople, after re ...

SGPC 2) *7. (6 December 2004): The Tooth Fragment (Public Prosecutor v Nadasan Chandra Secharan 996SGHC 228, Nadasan Chandra Secharan v Public Prosecutor

997 Year 997 (Roman numerals, CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first ...

SGCA 3) (See:

Death of Ramapiram Kannickaisparry Ramapiram Kannickaisparry ( – 17 April 1995), also known as Ramipiram Kannickaisparry, was an Indian-born Singaporean woman who was found dead in a forested area of Sembawang on 17 April 1995. Ramapiram was last seen alive six hours before her ...

) *8. (13 December 2004): The Moving Mini Murder (Public Prosecutor v Lee Chor Pet and Others) *9. (20 December 2004): Girl Thrown To Her Death (Public Prosecutor v Neville Hensley Anthony) *10. (27 December 2004): Rage (Public Prosecutor v Chua Hwa Soon Jimmy 998SGHC 16) (See:

1996 Bedok Reservoir flat murder On 26 August 1996, at a flat in Bedok Reservoir Road, 25-year-old Jimmy Chua Hwa Soon (蔡华顺 Cài Huáshùn), an army sergeant of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), brutally slashed his 39-year-old sister-in-law Neo Lam Lye (梁南莱 Liáng N ...

) *11. (3 January 2005): Fatal Step (Public Prosecutor v Abdul Nasir bin Amer Hamsah 996SGHC 138, Public Prosecutor v Abdul Nasir bin Amer Hamsah (1997)) (See:

Oriental Hotel Murder On 6 June 1994, two Japanese tourists were robbed and attacked by two men in their shared room in the Oriental Hotel in Singapore. One of them was brutally assaulted and died, while the other survived. The case, known as the Oriental Hotel murde ...

) *12. (10 January 2005): Unsolved ( Geylang Bahru Family Murders)

Season 4 (Sundays 10.00 p.m.)

*1. (2 April 2006): The Bukit Merah Maid Trial (CC 19/2003 - Public Prosecutor v

Sundarti Supriyanto Sundarti Supriyanto (born 1979) is a former Indonesian maid who murdered her employer and her employer’s daughter in Bukit Merah, Singapore. She was originally in line for the death penalty when she faced two charges of third-degree murder for t ...

) *2. (9 April 2006): Serial Rapist (CC 39/2003 - Public Prosecutor v Suresh Nair) *3. (16 April 2006): Itch To Kill (CC 22/1996 - Public Prosecutor v Ong Teng Siew) *4. (23 April 2006): Baby Killer (CC 15/2003 - Public Prosecutor v Soosainathan s/o Dass Saminathan) *5. (30 April 2006): Bungled Burglary (CC 12/1991 - Public Prosecutor v Tan Chee Hwee and Another, CCA 14/1992 - Tan Chee Hwee and Another v Public Prosecutor) *6. (7 May 2006): Headless Corpse (Public Prosecutor v Abdul Based Late Nasin Uddin) *7. (14 May 2006): Murder of the Caretaker (CC 8/2004 - Public Prosecutor v Zailani bin Ahmad) *8. (21 May 2006): Deaf Mute Dead (CC 3/2003 - Public Prosecutor v Tan Chun Seng, CA/CCA 2/2003 - Tan Chun Seng v Public Prosecutor) *9. (28 May 2006): Transvestite Killed (CC 54/1991 - Public Prosecutor v Soosay a/l Sinnappen) *10. (4 June 2006): Death in the Bath (Suit 600211/2000 - Yap Chwee Khim v American Home Assurance Co and Others) *11. (11 June 2006): Fall Of Death (CC 6/2004 - Public Prosecutor v Lee Harith Gary (alias Lee Cheng Thiam)) *12. (18 June 2006): Car Boot Murder (CC 35/2004 - Public Prosecutor v Lim Poh Lye and Another) *13. (25 June 2006): Mistaken (CC 12/2002 - Public Prosecutor v Fazely bin Rahmat and Another) (See: Murder of Sulaiman bin Hashim)

Season 5 (Sundays, 10.00 p.m. (Monday for fifth episode)

*1. (7 January 2007): The Peeping Tom Trial (Public Prosecutor v Ho Joon Toh) *2. (14 January 2007): Murder by Car (Public Prosecutor v Tan Cheng Eng William) *3. (21 January 2007): Gun Siege (Public Prosecutor v Teo Cheng Leong) *4. (28 January 2007): Death At 13 (Public Prosecutor v Lim Seng Chuan) *5. (5 February 2007): Strangled by Sari (CC 58/2002 - Public Prosecutor v Saminathan s/o Subramaniam) *6. (11 February 2007): The Orchard Towers Double Murder (CC 17/2006 - Public Prosecutor v McCrea Michael) (See also:

Orchard Towers double murders The Orchard Towers double murders was the case of two deaths occurring at Balmoral Park, Singapore, before the victims' bodies were discovered at a carpark in Orchard Towers, thus the title of the case. The victims were 46-year-old Kho Nai Gua ...

) *7. (25 February 2007): Thai Pimp Killed (Public Prosecutor v Singngoi Somsak) *8. (4 March 2007): The Shenton Way Shootout (CC 33/2004 - Public Prosecutor v Khor Kok Soon) *9. (11 March 2007): Morbid Jealousy (CC 8/2005 - Public Prosecutor v G Krishnasamy Naidu) *10. (18 March 2007): The Maid (CC 31/2004 - Public Prosecutor v Purwanti Parji)

Trivia

*The legal consultant for Seasons 1 and 2 is Senior Counsel R Palakrishnan. After Palakrishnan died in July 2003, the same year as Season 2's first telecast, Subhas Anandan becomes the new legal consultant for this docu-drama from Season 3 onwards, which first aired in the following year (2004). *The closing credits for Seasons 1 and 2 flipped from page to page on a black screen, accompanied by random music. In Season 3, the closing credits scrolled from bottom-to-top in a red background similar to a scene in the opening sequence, featuring the allegory of justice found at the entrance of the old Supreme Court building in Singapore; as well as accompaniment by only the opening theme music. This background and music continued to be used for closing credits in Seasons 4 and 5, except that the credits flipped from page to page as per Seasons 1 and 2. *The front gate of

Changi Prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. History First prison Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside ...

, despite appearing in the opening sequence throughout the first season (and the opening sequence would remain unchanged throughout the entire telecast), only appeared as a background in one of the last episodes for that season, ''The Burnt Body Case'', when the date of execution for that accused was revealed near to the end of the episode. This background would continue to be used at the end of most episodes in Seasons 2 and 3, either revealing the date of execution or the verdict for the accused, or any important information or records (such as in ''The Story Of Koh Swee Beng'', it mentioned about the number of prisoners on Death Row being pardoned by the President of Singapore over a period of time). It was last used in ''Fatal Step'', the second last episode of Season 3 and the last episode in that season to feature a High Court case (due to the following and last episode, ''The Unsolved'', being a special, did not feature any High Court case as the murderers were never found).

References

{{Reflist

External links

''True Files'' Season 1''True Files'' Season 2''True Files'' Season 3''True Files'' Season 4''True Files'' Season 5
Singaporean documentary television series Crime in Singapore 2002 Singaporean television series debuts 2007 Singaporean television series endings Channel 5 (Singapore) original programming