Man charged with stabbing priest in the mouth at St Joseph's Church
According to the charge sheet, the stabbing left an 8cm-long laceration on Father Christopher Lee's tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth.
Father Christopher Lee was stabbed at St Joseph's Church on Saturday, Nov 9, 2024. (Photos: CNA)
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SINGAPORE: A 37-year-old man was charged in court on Monday (Nov 11) over a stabbing incident in a Catholic church that sent shockwaves across the nation and rallied religious groups in solidarity against the violence.
Basnayake Keith Spencer, a Singaporean, was handed one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon to Father Christopher Lee Kwong Heng.
Spencer is accused of using a foldable knife to stab Fr Lee in the mouth at about 6.30pm on Nov 9 at St Joseph's Church at Upper Bukit Timah.
The charge stated that the action caused an 8cm-long laceration on Fr Lee's tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth.
The stabbing endangered the life of Fr Lee, the charge stated.
Spencer was unrepresented and appeared in court via video-link from his place of remand, wearing a white polo shirt and with his hands in cuffs.
He held his shoulders up rigidly and gave one-word answers to questions from the court.
The police prosecutor applied for Spencer to be remanded for three weeks for psychiatric assessment.
The judge granted the application and fixed a further mention of the case on Dec 2.
Fr Lee, who is the parish priest of the church, underwent surgery to close his wounds and was reported to be in stable condition and recovering in hospital a day after the incident.
The alleged attack took place during communion at the parish's monthly children's mass, where children take on duties that adults usually undertake, such as singing in the choir.
Members of the congregation, including the Archdiocesan Emergency Response team, helped subdue Spencer, who was allegedly wielding a foldable knife.Â
Four other weapons including a penknife and a mallet were later found on Spencer, who is not a regular at the church.
According to Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Spencer is Singaporean Sinhalese and had previously declared to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that he is Christian.
Preliminary investigations indicate that he acted alone, with the police currently not suspecting that this is an act of terrorism.
A person convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon can be sentenced to life imprisonment.
If not, he faces up to 15 years' jail, a fine and caning.
