THE university technician who allegedly killed an academic at the National University of Singapore campus on Wednesday was formally charged with murder yesterday.

Ng Kwang Lim, 46, is accused of killing Associate Professor Lee Kwok Hong, 47, on Wednesday between 9am and 10.40am in the conference room on the seventh floor of the engineering faculty.

Prof Lee, a vice-dean of the faculty, died in hospital about an hour after he was attacked.

Yesterday, at 8.40am in a district court, Ng was the first accused person to be led into the dock. The accused, who has shoulder-length hair, wore a red polo T-shirt, dark shorts and slippers.

While the accused in other cases were being dealt with, he looked about the courtroom as if watching a performance, smiling from time to time.

Shortly after 9am, his name was called and the murder charge read out to him. He just nodded in response.

Ng will be remanded in custody while police investigations continue. His case is due to be mentioned again next Friday.

The penalty for murder is death by hanging.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.