At least 12 people, including three at another church, were accused of being harmed or subjected to criminal force by a man who allegedly punched a priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit.
On February 9, Huang Guang Zheng, 22, was accused of intentionally hurting Father Cary Chan by striking him in the face at the Upper Thomson Roman Catholic church.
He was also accused of damaging a church's wooden door by knocking over a potted plant and slamming it against the wall six times.
On August 18, Huang was charged with 21 offenses, including three charges of public nuisance, five counts of using criminal force, four counts of mischief, and nine counts of voluntarily causing harm.
At the time, Huang's special needs and visual impairment were disclosed to the media by Father Chan, the church's assistant parish priest.
In August 2024, Huang is also accused of injuring eight people at public locations such as MRT stations and hawker centers, and three more at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jurong East.
Charge sheets state that Huang allegedly committed the offenses from April 2024 to July 2025.
He is accused of punching and kicking three members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on the morning of August 17, 2024.
He was also accused of annoying churchgoers by yelling during the service and smashing a glass door, breaking it.
Huang allegedly injured or used unlawful force against individuals at MRT stations and on a moving train in December 2024, January 2025, and July 2025.
Huang allegedly used guiding sticks to strike a woman's head and shoulders twice on January 25 at the Maxwell MRT station platform. He also allegedly charged at a man, causing him to fall backwards.
He allegedly spat on a man at the HarbourFront MRT station on July 12 in another incident.
He is also accused of pushing someone and punching them in the neck and shoulder on December 10, 2024, at Maxwell Food Center.
Among other things, he was accused of throwing a plastic container at a food center in Bishan, spitting on a cashier counter, and knocking over coffee cups at a hawker center in Sengkang.
Additional information about the causes of the various incidents is not provided in court documents.
His defense attorney will be submitting arguments to contest his mental capacity to enter a plea in court, according to court documents.
He is scheduled to attend a community case conference at the State Courts Centre for Specialist Services, which is run by a group of social workers, psychologists, and counselors who assist offenders and their families.
The experts at these conferences attempt to identify the root causes of criminal behavior and may recommend that offenders seek assistance from other social service organizations.
On September 29, his case will be heard once more.
