Man who allegedly punched Catholic priest charged with attacking another man at St Andrew’s Cathedral
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Huang Guang Zheng was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to a man at St Andrew’s Cathedral on Oct 25, 2023.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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- Huang Guang Zheng, 23, faces a new charge for allegedly attacking a man at St Andrew's Cathedral with a walking stick in October 2023.
- Huang already faces 21 charges, including assaulting a priest, Father Cary Chan, at Church of the Holy Spirit in February 2025.
- His lawyer sought an adjournment for a forensics report; the judge allowed Huang's absence from future hearings.
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SINGAPORE – A man who allegedly assaulted 12 people, including a priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit, was charged with attacking a 13th person at another church.
On Sept 29, Huang Guang Zheng, 23, was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to a man at St Andrew’s Cathedral, near City Hall, by striking him on the back of his head with a walking stick on Oct 25, 2023.
In August, Huang was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to Father Cary Chan at the Church of the Holy Spirit, by hitting him on his face at the Roman Catholic church
Father Chan, the church’s assistant parish priest, had told the media then that Huang is visually impaired and has special needs.
Huang now faces 22 charges in total after he was given 21 charges in August
During court proceedings on Sept 29, Huang, who was accompanied by police officers and his mother in the dock, raised his voice and demanded the charges be dropped.
His lawyer, Mr Jerome Tan, told the court there was a forensics report being prepared for Huang and sought an adjournment, which was granted.
Mr Tan also asked for his client’s attendance to be dispensed with, which allows his lawyer to attend court proceedings on his behalf.
Addressing District Judge Janet Wang, Huang’s mother, who was crying, said: “Your Honour, each time he comes to court, he has all these meltdowns, and it’ll risk him being arrested again. We are going through a lot of stress and anxiety because of this.”
The judge nodded, and said she understood.
As Huang continued shouting, his mother apologised to District Judge Wang.
The judge allowed Huang’s attendance to be dispensed with and told his mother: “Please take care, and please take care of him as well.”
His case will be heard again on Nov 10.
Huang’s previous charges involve him allegedly hurting three people at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jurong East in August 2024, and eight other people at public places, including MRT stations and hawker centres.
In 2024 and 2025, Huang allegedly hurt or used criminal force on people at MRT stations and on board a moving train.
On Jan 25, at the Maxwell MRT station platform, Huang allegedly used guiding sticks to hit a woman’s head and shoulders twice and charged at a man, causing him to fall backwards.
He is also accused of spitting on a man at HarbourFront MRT station on July 12.
His other alleged offences include punching a person’s neck and shoulder, and pushing another individual at Maxwell Food Centre.
In addition, he was charged with spitting on a cashier’s counter and toppling coffee cups at a hawker centre in Sengkang, and throwing a plastic container at a food centre in Bishan.
The offence of voluntarily causing hurt carries a penalty of up to three years’ jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
If convicted of using criminal force, an offender can be jailed for up to three months, or fined up to $1,500, or both.
