Inmate gets jail for punching chief warder in Changi Prison, fracturing his facial bone

SINGAPORE: An inmate undergoing drug rehabilitation at Changi Prison punched a chief warder who was escorting him back to his cell, fracturing a bone in his face.

Kaliappan Kumarasamy, 51, was sentenced to three years' jail on Monday (Oct 9) after pleading guilty to one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to a public servant.

The court heard that the victim was a 41-year-old man who had been an officer with the Singapore Prison Service for 19 years.

He was a Chief Warder at Changi Prison's Cluster B Institution B5.

On the morning of Dec 21 last year, the victim was on duty at Institution B5. The inmates there, including Kaliappan, had been let out of their cells so they could take medication.

At about 9am, the victim and his other fellow officers escorted the inmates back to their cells. 

The victim approached Kaliappan and they walked together along the corridor towards his cell, talking normally, the prosecutor said.

While they walked and talked, the victim touched Kaliappan's upper arm in a friendly gesture.

A moment later, Kaliappan suddenly punched the victim's face forcefully. The victim fell to the ground.

As the officer was picking himself up, Kaliappan stood in front of him and threw another punch, but missed.

The victim realised he was bleeding from his nose and mouth and immediately activated his communication device, seeking assistance.

Other nearby officers immediately rushed over to help him. Kaliappan continued to assume an aggressive fighting stance, raising both fists.

He was subdued by a group of officers only after one of them deployed pepper spray.

The victim went to hospital and was given seven days' hospitalisation leave. He sustained a facial bone fracture and continued to suffer from left facial numbness as of March this year.

Kaliappan admitted assaulting the victim, saying he was feeling angry over an internal investigation against him and over a separate dispute with another inmate.

The prosecutor sought three years' jail for Kaliappan, who had many past convictions from 1986 for offences like theft, drug consumption, desertion and failing to report for urine test.

However, the only relevant conviction was in 2018, when he was convicted of two counts of voluntarily causing hurt and ordered to undergo mandatory treatment.

Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew said the punishment for Kaliappan's offence is mandatory jail of up to 15 years, with a fine or caning.

He said the high prescribed punishment indicates the level of severity of the offence, adding that there is crucial public interest in protecting frontline law enforcement officers.

This offence occurred in the confines of the prison against a prison officer, and such conduct must be deterred, with inmates receiving a message that they should not even contemplate laying any hand on a prison officer, said Mr Chew.

He added that he would have asked for caning if not for Kaliappan's age.

In mitigation, the unrepresented Kaliappan pleaded for leniency, saying he was very, very sorry and was "suffering a lot here". He reacted angrily and emotionally at various parts of the hearing and calmed down only when the judge warned him sternly.

"Only God will know how much I've been suffering. I've been praying every day. I admit to all my mistakes. I just want to get out of prison and change my life. My mom passed on in 2021, I have been emotionally very down ... I do not want to die in prison," he said through an interpreter.

District Judge Sharmila Sripathy noted the need to ensure that officers can perform their duties fearlessly. She said this was a gratuitous act of violence that was unprovoked.

Kaliappan's aggression towards the victim could be gauged from the fact that it took pepper spray and the force of several officers to subdue him, said the judge.