The court sentenced Singaporean Lincoln Ng Jing Kai to five years and nine months after he killed Mark John Burnes with a car. His sentence was backdated to 24 May 2024, and he is eligible for parole after three years and nine months.
Justice Terence Palmer sentenced Ng, 29, on 2 November 2026, in the Supreme Court of Western Australia. Ng had originally been charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in August 2026 after prosecutors accepted the lesser charge, VnExpress International said, citing CNA.
His sentence was backdated to 24 May 2024, and he becomes eligible for parole after serving three years and nine months.
The sentence followed the killing of Burnes on 24 May 2024, during Ng’s eight-day holiday in Perth with his girlfriend and her family. The court heard that he had planned to propose to her. The previous day, Burnes had smashed the rear window of the group’s rental car and stolen a backpack containing a passport, an iPad, cash and an AirTag tracker, the court heard.
Ng’s girlfriend’s brother tracked the device and contacted police, who told him to call back when its location stabilized. The next day, the group searched near a construction site and saw Burnes ride past on an electric bicycle with what appeared to be the backpack. At his girlfriend’s father’s urging, Ng followed him while the brother remained on the phone with police.
After someone in the car suggested tapping the bicycle, Ng hit its rear wheel, knocking Burnes off, and turned to face him. Burnes shouted threats. Ng feared Burnes might attack and intended to reverse, but accelerated forward and struck him. Burnes went beneath the car, and Ng continued about 25 meters before reversing to free him and waiting for police. Burnes later died in hospital.
Palmer said confronting Burnes and knocking him off the bicycle involved a degree of vigilantism. He was not persuaded that the risk Burnes was beneath the car was obvious to Ng, but said Ng should have stopped as soon as he realized the car was moving forward. The judge considered Ng’s guilty plea, lack of a criminal history and genuine remorse in mitigation.
The Anti-Corruption Court invalidated a 2011 land auction in its 20 October 2026 judgment, prosecutors say. Payment to the community follows if the judgment enters legal force.
Burnes’ father, Peter Baclay Burnes, told the court that the loss had a huge impact on the family, including his son’s three children. Two of the children, including one with a disability, have no living parent, he said.
Parole is supervised release before a full sentence ends. People on parole must follow conditions intended to prevent reoffending and protect the community. Breaches can lead to a written warning, suspension or cancellation of parole, or, in serious cases, a return to prison. Western Australia’s Prisoners Review Board, rather than the court, decides whether an eligible prisoner is suitable for release. It normally considers a case approximately two to six weeks before the earliest eligibility date and cannot authorize release before that date.
Although the board normally considers cases two to six weeks before eligibility, a backdated sentence can sometimes mean a case is considered after that date. In such cases, the board reviews it as soon as practicable.
Victim impact statements given to the court are automatically supplied to the board. Victims can also submit information about how release would affect them and suggest safety conditions. The board’s primary concern is community safety. If parole is refused, a prisoner can seek a review on valid grounds or reapply with new information.
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