Man who tried to use stun gun on police officer gets corrective training, caning and fine

SINGAPORE: A 24-year-old man who committed a series of offences, including using a stun gun and spitting at a police officer, was sentenced to corrective training on Wednesday (Jun 20). 

The offences, committed less than a month after his release from prison for a previous conviction, saw Sivakandesh sentenced to five years’ corrective training, eight strokes of the cane and a fine of S$4,000.

In the first incident in August 2016, police officers approached Sivakandesh at Northpoint City shopping mall in Yishun after they received information that he was armed with a stun gun. He dropped it on a grass patch as the officers walked towards him.

When asked twice for his particulars, Sivakandesh walked away. When a police officer followed him, Sivakandesh ran.

The officer gave chase and managed to stop him, but Sivakandesh struggled. Before the officer could detain him, he hit the policeman's nose with his palm.

Two months later, while he was on court bail, he was arrested at Hotel Rendezvous in Bras Basah for suspected criminal activities.

In the police car on the way to the Police Cantonment Complex, Sivakandesh hurled vulgarities at the police officer sitting beside him and spat at his face.

THEFT IN YISHUN CAR PARK

In January last year, Sivakandesh continued his string of offences while still on court bail. He stole a purse containing about S$90 and sunglasses worth about S$150 from an unlocked Mercedes Benz at a car park at Block 624, Yishun Ring Road. 

Before that, police had received information of public disturbance at the block. While he was still in the car, police officers who chanced upon him behaving suspiciously and asked for his particulars. He produced a name card of the car owner, and an expired passport belonging to someone else.

Again, he struggled while officers tried to arrest him, but they managed to handcuff him. While continuing to struggle, he tried to use a stun gun he had ordered online on a police officer near him. The officer moved away and disarmed him. A flick knife with an 8.5cm blade was also found on him.

HISTORY OF VIOLENCE-RELATED OFFENCES

Sivakandesh was first sentenced to 15 months’ probation in 2008 for a public nuisance offence. In 2012, he was sentenced to reformative training after pleading guilty to violence-related offences including rioting and causing hurt.

He was released in November 2014, but within two weeks, he committed the offence of voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons or means. He was sentenced to two years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane, and released from prison in July 2016.

On Wednesday, he was sentenced on seven charges. Another six were taken into consideration. Corrective training is a prison regime for repeat offenders without the usual one-third remission for good behaviour.

Sivakandesh’s lawyer had asked for his client to be jailed a maximum of three years and two months, fined S$5,000 and given six strokes of the cane.

For voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty, Sivakandesh could have been jailed up to seven years, fined, caned, or given any combination of punishments. For possessing the flick knife, he could have been jailed between two and eight years, and given at least six strokes of the cane. For importing the stun gun, he could have been fined up to S$10,000 and jailed a maximum of three years.