In a shocking incident that unfolded within the confines of Changi Prison, a drugs offender, 51-year-old Kaliappan Kumarasamy, unleashed an unprovoked attack on a prison officer, causing severe facial injuries.
For his troubles, he was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of causing grievous hurt, according to The Straits Times.
What happened?
At the time, Kaliappan Kumarasamy, a 51-year-old inmate, was undergoing treatment at a drug rehabilitation center (DRC) situated within Changi Prison when the incident occurred.
On December 21, 2022, a seemingly routine interaction took a dark turn. Inmates at the DRC were let out of their jail cells to receive their medication.
The victim, 41-year-old chief warder Lim See Chuan, approached Kaliappan Kumarasamy to escort him back to his jail cell. As they walked down a corridor, they engaged in conversation, and a sudden and unprovoked act of violence occurred.
Deputy Public Prosecutor James Chew explained the sequence of events, stating that they were talking when the victim touched the accused’s right arm in a friendly manner. They continued walking when the accused then suddenly punched the victim in the face with his left fist.
The victim then fell onto the ground and tried to get up when the accused then attempted to punch him again on his head with his left fist but missed.
The assault left Mr. Lim bleeding from his nose and mouth. Despite his injuries, he managed to activate his communication device to ask his colleagues for help, and they then rushed to his aid.
Subdued
The situation escalated further as Kaliappan Kumarasamy continued to display aggressive behavior, raising both of his fists in a fight stance.
To subdue him, a prison officer had to resort to using pepper spray, eventually bringing the situation under control.
Mr. Lim was immediately taken to Changi General Hospital for medical treatment before being discharged later that day, but he still had numbness in his face, highlighting the severity of the assault.
Reasons for the assault
The attack on the victim was unprovoked, and according to DPP James Chew, Kaliappan had attacked Lim because he was angry at the Singapore Prison Service, for a separate investigation that was going on against him.
DPP Chew said that such “revenge attacks” cannot be tolerated and asked for a jail term of between 3 to 3.5 years.
Kaliappan was eventually sentenced to 3 years imprisonment, and he cannot be caned because he is over 50 years old.