Man who stabbed priest at St Joseph’s Church gets jail, caning
Basnayake Keith Spencer, 38, stabbed Father Christopher Lee Kwong Heng in the mouth with a foldable knife with a 10cm partially serrated blade during communion after a children’s mass in November 2024.
Keith Spencer, a 38-year-old man, stabbed Father Christopher Lee during communion at St Joseph’s Church in 2024. Spencer was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, plus nine strokes of the cane. The court heard that Spencer had multiple weapons, including a foldable knife with a 10cm partially serrated blade, a butterfly knife, a penknife, a fishing gaff, and a mallet, on him or in his bag.
He also admitted to carrying weapons in public without a lawful purpose. Spencer had consumed five nitrazepam tablets before the attack, which the prosecution argued aggravated his behavior. He intended to attend communion calmly and stay focused, but his drug use led to psychosis and a violent attack on Father Lee, who suffered a stab wound to his mouth and tongue.
The judge emphasized that the attack was unprovoked and caused severe harm, unable to be repeated by others.
Written by urgent.news from CNA - Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
