Man who allegedly punched priest at Holy Spirit Church charged with assaulting 12 people
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The man allegedly also hurt three people at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jurong East by kicking and punching them.
PHOTOS: GIN TAY, JURONG SDA/FACEBOOK
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- Huang Guang Zheng, 22, faces 21 charges, including over assaults of 12 people at two churches, MRT stations and food centres between April 2024 and July 2025.
- Huang allegedly punched a priest at one church, and hurt three people at another church, shouting during service and damaging property.
- Huang's lawyer challenges his mental capacity to plead; a specialist service session is scheduled, and the case resumes on Sept 29.
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SINGAPORE - A man who allegedly punched a priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit was charged with hurting or using criminal force on at least 12 people, including three at another church.
Huang Guang Zheng, 22, was charged with voluntarily causing hurt by hitting Father Cary Chan on his face at the Roman Catholic church
He was also charged with causing damage to a wooden door of the church by slamming it against the wall six times and toppling a potted plant.
Huang was handed 21 charges on Aug 18, including nine counts of voluntarily causing hurt, five counts of using criminal force, four counts of mischief and three charges of being a public nuisance.
Father Chan, the church’s assistant parish priest, had told the media then that Huang is visually impaired and has special needs.
Father Cary Chan was the priest involved in the Feb 9 incident at the Church of the Holy Spirit.
PHOTO: HOLYSPIRIT.SG
Huang also allegedly hurt three people at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jurong East in August 2024, and eight others at public places including MRT stations and hawker centres.
According to charge sheets, Huang allegedly committed the offences between April 2024 and July 2025.
On the morning of Aug 17, 2024, he allegedly hurt three people at the Seventh-day Adventist Church by kicking and punching them.
He was also charged with causing annoyance to church attendees by shouting loudly during the church service, and slamming a glass door of the church, shattering it.
In December 2024, January 2025 and July 2025, Huang purportedly 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.
On July 12, he allegedly spat on a man at HarbourFront MRT station.
His other purported offences include punching a person’s neck and shoulder, and pushing another individual on Dec 10, 2024, at Maxwell Food Centre.
He was also 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, among other acts.
Court documents did not give more details on what caused the various incidents.
According to court records, his defence lawyer will be sending representations to challenge his mental capacity to plead in court.
A community case conference has been scheduled for him at the State Courts Centre for Specialist Services
During such conferences, the specialists try to understand the underlying causes of offending behaviour, and may refer offenders to other social service agencies.
Huang’s case will be heard again on Sept 29. The offence of voluntarily causing hurt carries a penalty of up to three years’ jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
Those convicted of using criminal force can be jailed for up to three months, or be fined up to $1,500, or both. Those convicted of mischief can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both, while those guilty of being a public nuisance will face a maximum of three months’ jail or a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
