A Hobart teenager has been sentenced to four years in prison for the manslaughter of Indian international student Deepinderjeet Singh, whose life was cut short after a violent robbery on Franklin Wharf in January 2024.
The final two years of the sentence were suspended, with the offender ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, report regularly to a probation officer, and abstain from alcohol.
The youth—17 at the time of the incident and now 19—appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, where Chief Justice Christopher Shanahan said the conditions were intended to maximise his chances of rehabilitation. For legal reasons, he cannot be named.
Mr Singh, a 27-year-old University of Tasmania student remembered by friends as “kind-hearted” and “happy”, had been sitting on the edge of the wharf with a woman he had met online. Neither could swim, and they had even discussed what they would do if they fell into the water.
Moments later, the teenager—egged on by others—pushed both of them into the Derwent River and fled with the woman’s handbag. While the woman was able to cling to a railing and pull herself out, multiple bystanders were unable to save Mr Singh, who drowned.
Floral tributes filled Franklin Wharf in the days that followed, as Hobart’s multicultural community mourned his loss.
ABC reported that the Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Avery told the court the group of four—three teenagers and an adult—ran off laughing after the attack. Later that night, they used the woman’s credit card to buy neon clothing, LED lights, snack food, a Bluey book, and other items worth more than $200 at Kmart in New Town. It was only after seeing social media reports that Mr Singh had died that they began to panic.
Police arrested the group the following day.
As per ABC, the court heard the teen who delivered the fatal push had been in custody at a youth detention centre for nearly 600 days and had a history of escalating behaviour. Ms Avery argued the crime should be considered at the serious end of manslaughter, noting that while the death was not intended, the brazenness and cruelty of the act could not be ignored.
Defence counsel Philippa Willshire said her client had shown remorse, responded well to rehabilitation programmes, and was determined to turn his life around. She expressed “significant concerns” that his progress would unravel if he served additional time in an adult prison.
Mr Singh’s father, who lives in India, provided a victim impact statement describing the enduring devastation caused by his son’s death.
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