Singapore man charged with stabbing Catholic priest in mouth during mass
Basnayake Keith Spencer, 37, is accused of stabbing the parish priest during Saturday evening mass at St Joseph’s Church
A Singaporean man was charged on Monday with stabbing a Catholic priest celebrating a weekend mass, court papers showed, but authorities said there was no evidence the attack was religiously motivated or an act of terror.
The wealthy Southeast Asian city state of 6 million is known for its safety, but crime has increased 4.1 per cent to 10,106 in the first half of 2024 from a year earlier, police data shows.
Basnayake Keith Spencer, 37, is accused of using a foldable knife to stab parish priest Christopher Lee Kwong Heng, 57, in the mouth during Saturday evening mass at St Joseph’s Church in the upmarket Bukit Timah district, the charge sheet showed.
Spencer was disarmed and held by members of the congregation until police officers arrived. Among the four other weapons on him were a penknife and a mallet, authorities said.
“There is currently no evidence to suggest that it was a religiously motivated attack or an act of terror,” the home ministry said in a statement.
Spencer was charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt using a weapon likely to cause death, which carries a life sentence, or up to 15 years in jail, along with a caning and a fine. Media said he was not represented in court.
