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S'porean man, 37, who stabbed priest at St Joseph's Church during mass gets 4 years & 3 months' jail
The mass was attended by around 900 people.
August 21, 2026, 12:05 PM
Photos by Hannah Martens/Mothership
The man who stabbed a Catholic priest at St Joseph’s Church in November 2024 was sentenced to four years, three months’ jail and nine strokes of the cane on Aug. 21.
Basnayake Keith Spencer, 38, pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon and weapon possession, reported The Straits Times (ST).
According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, he had attacked Reverend Christopher Lee, who was 57 at the time, with a foldable knife on Nov. 9, 2024.
Other weapons he had included a fishing gaff, a 14.5cm penknife, and a flip knife.
According to ST, Basnayake appeared in court via video link, and stared blankly into space as the facts of the case were read out in court.
Stabbed during evening mass
Basnayake had stabbed Father Lee during evening mass, which was attended by around 900 people, reported ST.
He reportedly arrived at the church alone at around 5:30pm, and sat on the pew in the middle of the church hall.
During the mass, he took two pills to help him stay focused, the prosecution said, according to ST.
He then took three more pills to calm himself down after realising it was a children’s mass.
At around 6:15pm, two priests, including Lee, stood at the front and gave communion.
Basnayake was in the queue for the other priest, but later turned around to join the back of Lee’s queue.
During his turn, he suddenly took out a foldable knife and thrust it into Lee's mouth, causing him to bleed profusely.
The knife was 23cm long with a 10cm blade.
According to ST, Lee grabbed the rear pocket of Basnayake’s jeans to prevent him from hurting others.
Members of the congregation, including an off-duty police officer, restrained Basnayake and called the police.
He was later arrested at the scene.
The attack left the priest with an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper lip, and a 4cm cut in the corner of his mouth.
History of offences
According to previous reports by ST and CNA, Basnayake was sentenced to one year's imprisonment in 2019 after pleading guilty to stabbing his ex-girlfriend with a knife.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) also confirmed previously that the man has past antecedents for serious hurt and misuse of drugs offences.
He had previously declared to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) that he was Christian.
