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 Basnayake, 38, was sentenced to four years and three months in jail and nine strokes of the cane for stabbing Father Christopher Lee during a communion service at St Joseph’s Church in 2024. The foldable knife, a butterfly knife, a penknife, a fishing gaff, and a mallet were found on Basnayake during his arrest. Basnayake had taken five nitrazepam tablets before the attack, and his urine samples contained a cocktail of opiates and other controlled drugs, leading to a report by a doctor from the Institute of Mental Health.
The judge emphasized the gravity of his actions, noting that the attack was unprovoked and took place in front of hundreds of people, which could have led to mass panic and further injuries.
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