SINGAPORE – A man who approached police officers with an axe in his hand in Stamford Road earlier in 2023 was sentenced on Friday to six months and 14 weeks’ jail and six strokes of the cane.

The incident was captured on video and circulated widely on social media.

Manohar Thirunavukkarasu pleaded guilty to five charges including voluntarily causing hurt to an elderly man, verbally abusing a police officer and possessing an offensive weapon. Another three charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

The court heard that Manohar, a 26-year-old Singaporean, carried the axe with him for his personal safety as he was homeless at the time. He bought it for about $11 from Chinatown.

In the early hours of April 11, the accused, who had consumed alcohol, saw a group of elderly men with a woman in her 30s in the Stamford Road area.

He went up to the woman and told her to leave for her own safety as he felt she looked out of place.

The woman refused to leave and one of the men asked Manohar what his problem was and shoved him.

The accused then punched and kicked the man’s head several times as he felt it was inappropriate for an elderly man to befriend a younger woman. The man suffered head injuries as a result.

After he was arrested later that same day, Manohar verbally abused a police officer and said “You relax for one second, you see what (will) happen to your face”, among other things.

Even after the police warned him to cooperate, he continued with his rowdy behaviour, such as kicking the police officer’s leg.

Videos circulating online earlier in 2023 show Manohar walking with an axe in his hand towards a police car stopped at a traffic light on Stamford Road. Two uniformed officers then draw their weapons and point them at him.

Manohar stops a short distance from the police officers and throws his axe on the ground.

The offence of voluntarily causing hurt carries a jail term of up to three years and a maximum fine of $5,000.

An offender found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon can be jailed for up to three years and caned.