Man gets 14 months' jail for assaulting policemen

SINGAPORE — Despite being hit twice by taser shots, Khazarrudin Basha Karimal Basa continued to put up a violent struggle with police officers and even managed to rain punches on one of them.

The 32-year-old was sentenced to 14 months' jail on Friday (Nov 10) after he admitted to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, and another of being in possession of a controlled drug.

Another count of criminal trespass was taken into consideration in his sentencing.

The court heard that on June 19, Khazarrudin had broken into a vacant Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat at Block 168 Boon Lay Drive, hoping to steal a ceiling fan. The units in the block were vacant, but locked, as they were slated for demolition.

HDB officers who were inspecting the block that morning spotted Khazarrudin and called the police. When Sergeant Chia Shun Zheng and Sergeant Gunaseelan Ravesadran arrived at a seventh floor unit, they noticed that one of the toilet doors had been locked.

Moments later, Khazarrudin barged out of the toilet. In the ensuing fracas, Khazarrudin scratched Sergeant Gunaseelan, prompting the officer to fire a taser shot at him.

The taser shot hit Khazarrudin in the abdomen, but he continued to put up a struggle with Sergeant Chia. Sergeant Gunaseelan fired a second taser shot that hit Khazarrudin on the back.

But he stood up and rained punches on Sergeant Chia. "Over the course of the struggle, (he) punched (Sergeant Chia) twice on his face," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Derek Ee, who urged the court to impose a jail sentence of between 12 to 14 months.

The officers then made a dash for the door to safety. Khazarrudin tried to give chase but got stuck at the metal grille. The two police officers arrested him thereafter.

Sergeant Gunaseelan suffered multiple bruises on his left bicep, left hand and right shin. Sergeant Chia suffered facial swelling and mild tenderness to his sinuses.

Subsequent investigations found Khazarrudin to be in possession of a powdery substance that contained traces of Diamorphine, a controlled drug. He had previously been jailed for theft and voluntarily causing grievous hurt, as well as other drug-related offences.

Khazarrudin, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for leniency, saying: "It will not happen again. I am so sorry."

For voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, he could have been jailed for up to seven years, and fined and/or caning. For being in possession of a controlled drug, Khazarrudin could have been jailed up to 10 years, and/or fined up to S$20,000.