Singapore man who stabbed priest at St Joseph’s Church gets jail and caning

Singaporean man Basnayake Keith Spencer, 38, was sentenced to four years and three months in jail and nine canings on August 21, 2025, for stabbing a priest during communion at St Joseph’s Church in November 2024. Spencer pleaded guilty to grievous hurt and carrying multiple weapons in public without lawful purpose. Prosecutors described the attack as a "brazen and wholly unprovoked assault" on Father Christopher Lee Kwong Heng, emphasizing it occurred in front of hundreds of parishioners during a children's mass.

Spencer, who had taken five nitrazepam tablets, stabbed the priest with a partially serrated 10cm blade, injuring his mouth, tongue, lip, and requiring surgery. The court heard the incident "struck at the heart of the public's sensibilities" and deemed necessary deterrence to address widespread disquiet. Spencer admitted to psychosis triggered by the drugs, though his defense argued the pills' effects were unclear.

The judge, noting the priest's vulnerability at the moment of the attack, emphasized the need for specific deterrence due to Spencer's history of drug-induced violence.