SINGAPORE – Prosecutors have appealed for a longer jail term for a knife-wielding man who was shot by the police when he went on a rampage in Clementi after taking illicit substances.

On Tuesday, Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong argued that the sentence of two years and nine months’ jail Soo Cheow Wee received was manifestly inadequate, and sought at least five years’ corrective training – a prison regime for repeat offenders – or an imprisonment term of 57 to 63 months.

Mr Tai said in written submissions that Soo, 50, had carried out “senseless, unprovoked attacks against innocent members of the public and the police, in public places” and had abused substances before committing these attacks.

“Such offences challenge the community’s overall sense of security,” said the prosecutor.

On the night of Feb 17, 2022, Soo randomly attacked three passers-by, a taxi driver and a police officer within a span of 20 minutes after taking cough syrup and diazepam – which is used to treat anxiety disorders – without a prescription.

The attacks culminated in a stand-off outside Clementi Police Division, which ended when Soo was shot in the arm after he suddenly charged towards one of the police officers on duty.

In October 2022, he was sentenced to two years and nine months’ jail by a district court after he pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, two counts of criminal intimidation and one count of causing hurt to a public servant.

In the appeal hearing before Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on Tuesday, Mr Tai said Soo’s long history of drug and substance abuse are highly relevant as the man has gone from being a pure consumer to a violent threat to the public, owing to his addiction issues. 

Given Soo’s “self-ingestion of substance resulting in psychosis and his list of antecedents, it is expedient for the prevention of crime that he be removed from society” while he serves jail time to correct his criminal behaviour.

Mr Tai highlighted an earlier incident involving violence on June 9, 2019, when Soo walked out of Kampong Java Neighbourhood Police Centre after he was released on bail for drug consumption offences, but tried to make his way back in.

Soo told auxiliary police officers at the guardhouse that he needed to go back into the lock-up as there were people outside who wanted to kill him. He tried to force his way in before punching one of the officers in the face. He was given a two-year conditional warning for this.

Defence counsel Chooi Jing Yen on Tuesday appealed for a lower jail term of 23 months, arguing that Soo was psychotic at the time and has a history of hallucinations and persecutory delusions. Soo had tried to cope with his drug issues by taking alternative substances.

He said the 2019 incident was the first known instance where there seemed to be some link between Soo’s consumption of cough syrup and committing a violent offence.

The Chief Justice reserved judgment after hearing the arguments and will give his decision at a later date.