Indian-origin man jailed for assaults and racist feedback in Singapore

An Indian-origin Singaporean was jailed for 21 months and 4 weeks by a court docket right here on Wednesday for a number of offences dedicated final 12 months, together with assault, harassment and hurling racist feedback at law enforcement officials.

Sanjeevan Maha Lingam, 43, on his birthday final 12 months, September 24, punched a cleansing employee and fractured his jaw throughout an argument over the sufferer sleeping in a bin centre.

He pleaded responsible to a complete of 5 prices one for voluntarily inflicting grievous damage, two for utilizing legal drive to discourage a public servant from discharging his obligation, and two beneath the Protection from Harassment Act, in accordance with a report by The Straits Times newspaper.

Court paperwork don’t point out whether or not Sanjeevan was working on the time of his offences.

ALSO READ | Indian American boy bullied at Texas faculty, then suspended for 3 days

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li mentioned the cleaner had completed work at about 7 pm and went to sleep on a settee within the bin centre at Block 1 Jalan Kukoh housing property. Sanjeevan woke the cleaner up at about 11.15 PM, and so they obtained right into a dispute over the cleaner resting within the bin centre.

“In the course of the dispute, (Sanjeevan) punched the victim once on his left cheek, with the intention of causing grievous hurt to the victim,” mentioned prosecutor Li.

When the cleaner went to see a health care provider for ache in his jaw the following day, an X-ray revealed he had suffered a jaw fracture and wanted to bear surgical procedure.

During his mitigation, Sanjeevan, who didn’t have a lawyer, mentioned he had nobody to rejoice his birthday with as his mother and father weren’t round. His determination to wake the cleaner as much as give him a chunk of cake had led to the dispute, he added with out offering extra particulars.

ALSO READ | Indian-origin accountant jailed five-and-a-half years in UK for fraud, cash laundering

Twelve days earlier, on Sept 12, two law enforcement officials responded to a report a few disturbance attributable to a drunk man at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre.

Sanjeevan, who was holding a bottle and reeking of alcohol, turned agitated and used abusive language on an officer who was speaking to him. The officers arrested him and seized a plastic stool that he had allegedly thrown.

When he was in a lock-up on the Police Cantonment Complex, Sanjeevan sat on a bench together with his left arm cuffed to it whereas holding a slipper in his different hand. As one of many officers was submitting a report in regards to the plastic stool, Sanjeevan threw the slipper and hit her left arm. The officer was not injured, in accordance with the report.

In one other incident on February 21 this 12 months, Sergeant Muhammad Firdaus Hussain and his associate have been dispatched round 1.15 PM to examine a report {that a} man was harassing ladies within the neighborhood of Block 34 Upper Cross Street within the Central Business District.

While patrolling the world, the officers got here throughout Sanjeevan at a health nook in 51 Chin Swee Road and approached him as he match the outline of the suspect within the report. After discovering a glass pipe in his backpack, they arrested him and took him to the Police Cantonment Complex.

ALSO READ | Assam-origin physician contests extradition to India from UK on terror cost

While ready for his Antigen Rapid Test swab to be taken on the station, Sanjeevan refused to adjust to the officers’ directions and repeatedly pulled down his masks. He then all of the sudden stood up, pulled down his masks and spat on Sergeant Firdaus’ face. He additionally hurled racist insults on the officer.

Calling for a jail sentence of two years, three months and 4 weeks’ for Sanjeevan, prosecutor Li cited a listing of his prior offences whereas noting that he was no stranger to violence and had proven repeated defiant conduct in the direction of authorities.

For voluntarily inflicting grievous damage, Sanjeevan might have been jailed for as much as 10 years and fined or caned. For utilizing legal drive to discourage a public servant from discharging his obligation, he might have been jailed for as much as 4 years or fined, or each. For an offence beneath the Protection from Harassment Act, he might have been jailed for as much as two years, fined as much as SGD10,000, or each.

ALSO READ | ‘For Sunanda’s sake…’: Vivek Agnihotri, Shashi Tharoor spar over ban on The Kashmir Files in Singapore