Alleged attacker in St Joseph's stabbing charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt

The 37-year-old Singaporean who allegedly stabbed a priest at St Joseph's Church at Upper Bukit Timah has been charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon.

According to court documents, Basnayake Keith Spencer had allegedly attacked Catholic priest Father Christopher Lee with a foldable knife, The Straits Times reported.

The purported attack left the priest with a 8cm-long laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper lip, and a 4cm cut in the corner of his mouth.

It also endangered the priest's life.

Unrepresented in court

Spencer was unrepresented when he appeared in court on Nov. 11 via video link, according to CNA.

He wore a white polo shirt and was handcuffed.

The prosecution applied for Spencer to be remanded for three weeks at Changi Medical Complex for a psychiatric assessment.

He will return to court on Dec. 2.

Should he be convicted of his charge, he may face life imprisonment or jail for up to 15 years.

He could also be subjected to caning and/or a fine.

Background

Spencer was found to have a total of five weapons in his possession.

In a media briefing by the police in the wee hours of the morning on Nov. 10, it was revealed that Spencer also had a box cutter, a hammer-like object, and a hook, in addition to the flip knife used in the attack.

The police added that there is currently no evidence to suggest that it was a religiously motivated attack.

"The public is urged to remain calm and refrain from speculation as investigations are ongoing to ascertain the motive behind this incident," said SPF in their earlier statement on Nov. 9.

Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said in a Facebook post on the evening of Nov. 9 that the man had previously declared to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) that he was Christian.

He added that Lee is currently in a stable condition following the incident.

In a press statement on Nov. 9, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said the incident occurred during the 5:30pm mass, and that the man was subdued by members of the congregation, including the Archdiocesan Emergency Response team.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police revealed that the man has past antecedents for serious hurt and misuse of drugs offences.

Based on the preliminary investigations, the police believe the man acted alone and do not suspect that this is an act of terrorism for now.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong took to Facebook to express his shock and sadness regarding the news of the stabbing, adding that "violence has no place in Singapore".

"In this case, it was fortunate that several members of the congregation helped disarm the assailant before he could do more harm. Many parishioners were badly shaken by what happened, and I hope they heal from this traumatic event," he added.

Witness at mass heard a scream, saw man being escorted out

Speaking to Mothership, one parishioner surnamed Tan shared she does not usually attend mass at St Joseph's Church in Bukit Timah, but was present at the mass Lee was presiding over on Nov. 9.

Tan said the incident happened during Holy Communion.

She was heading back to her seat when she heard a scream and something dropping to the floor.

While Tan did not witness the alleged stabbing, she told Mothership that she saw Lee on the floor and was unable to continue mass.

She also saw church volunteers bringing kitchen towels to Lee.

He was also seen being put on a drip while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

Tan also witnessed a few men restraining the assailant and escorting him out of the church.

"The parishioners were generally concerned about Lee and pretty calm. I did not see anyone making an attempt to leave. I believe they felt safe in the church," she added.

The priest is currently in a stable condition.

Top left photo by Reuben Nathan/Mothership, right photo from Laurence Goh/Google Maps