8cm cut on tongue: Man charged with stabbing St Joseph's Church priest

SINGAPORE — The man arrested for allegedly stabbing a priest at St Joseph's Church in Bukit Timah has been charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon.

Basnayake Keith Spencer, 37, appeared at the State Courts via video-link on Monday (Nov 11) at 10.10am.

The Singaporean man, who had close-cropped hair, was expressionless during court proceedings as the prosecution applied for him to be remanded at Changi Prison Complex Medical Centre for three weeks for a medical examination.

His case will be heard in court again on Dec 2.

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If convicted, he may face life imprisonment or be jailed for up to 15 years. He may also be liable to caning and/or a fine.

The incident happened on Saturday. Basnayake is said to have stabbed Reverend Christopher Lee while the 57-year-old was conducting evening mass.

The alleged assailant is said to have approached Father Lee while the priest was distributing communion.

According to court documents, the victim was stabbed in the mouth. It left him with an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth.

Basnayake allegedly used a foldable knife in the attack which endangered Father Lee's life.

He was disarmed by members of the congregation, detained by several men and subsequently arrested by police officers.

A video circulating online following the attack shows a slim man in a bloodied white T-shirt being led away from the church with his hands held behind his back.

He is said to have used a folding knife to stab Father Lee, and had four other weapons in his possession at the time.

Basnayake, who is Sinhalese, had previously declared to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that he is a Christian, said the police. He is said to have visited the church previously.

In an earlier statement, the police said they did not suspect the incident to be an act of terrorism, and added that there was no evidence to suggest that it was a religiously motivated attack.

However, police patrols were stepped up at places of worship a day after the attack to provide assurance to the public.

Father Lee, who was conscious when taken to the National University Hospital, is in stable condition and remains in hospital so that doctors can monitor him.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.