Prosecution seeks harsh jail term for recalcitrant criminal who got shot for charging at police with knife

SINGAPORE — A 50-year-old man, who was shot by a police officer while wielding a knife earlier this year, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Sept 27) to multiple violent offences.

Soo Cheow Wee was shot in the arm in February after he charged at the police with the knife outside Clementi Police Division. He had earlier slashed a passer-by and threatened a taxi driver with the weapon.

The court also heard how Soo had a long criminal history dating back to 1992, including inhaling an intoxicating substance, disorderly behaviour and mischief.

Most recently in 2013, he was sentenced to seven years’ jail and six strokes of the cane for drug consumption.

On Tuesday, Soo pleaded guilty to two offences of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, as well as one charge each of criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty.

Several other similar charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing.

Because of his repeat offences, the prosecution sought corrective training, which is a harsher form of imprisonment that usually lasts between five and 14 years.

It is imposed when a court finds that an offender needs training of a corrective character for a substantial period. Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan called for a report to assess Soo’s suitability for such a sentence.

Soo will return to court on Oct 26.

SHOOTING INCIDENT

The court heard that in the hours before he was shot on Feb 17, Soo went to Geylang where he took cough syrup and diazepam — a form of insomnia medication — without a prescription. He then returned to his mother's flat.

Around 8.30pm, he called the police to say: “Someone wants to kill me and my mother. I don’t know how to explain (it). Can you stop asking me questions?"

He then took a knife from his flat and stood along a pavement near Block 420A Clementi Avenue 1. He claimed a voice told him to randomly target passers-by and slash them with a knife.

He tried to chase a passer-by, who ran away after seeing the weapon that Soo was holding.

Soo then spotted a 41-year-old man on his usual evening stroll.

The victim noticed Soo acting suspiciously while holding something wrapped in newspaper. Soo then took out the knife and swung it at the other man’s head.

When the victim blocked the attack with his hand, Soo slashed him on the hand. The victim then immediately ran towards a Sheng Siong supermarket outlet.

Soo tried to run after him but gave up. He then loitered around the area some more and swung the knife towards a female pedestrian, but she managed to escape unscathed.

Soo eventually flagged down a taxi and asked to be driven to the Clementi Police Division headquarters. However, he began giving the taxi driver conflicting instructions on where he wanted to go.

He then opened the left rear passenger door and tried to get out of the taxi but fell onto the road in the process. He then lay on the ground for a few minutes.

The taxi driver alighted from the vehicle to check on Soo and noticed him holding a knife. The driver then stepped back and ran away when Soo pointed the weapon at him and charged at him.

Soo then walked towards the police station. The taxi driver drove away and alerted police officers at the station entrance.

Soo shouted incoherently at the police officers, who commanded him to stop and drop the knife.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) R Arvindren told the court that when Soo charged towards one of them while brandishing the knife, the officer fired a gunshot because he sensed an imminent threat to the life and safety of those present.

The round struck Soo's left arm and he fell to the ground.

He was later arrested and taken to a holding room, where paramedics assessed that his injuries were not life-threatening.

‘VERY DISTURBING'

On Tuesday, DPP Arvindren said that Soo’s mental disorder — substance-induced psychosis — should have little mitigating weight on his sentence.

Based on an Institute of Mental Health's report, he voluntarily took an illegal substance and maintained at least some degree of awareness and control over his actions.

“Clearly, he is a menace to the public… and there is a need to protect him from the public, the authorities and even his own family members. In two of his charges, he attacked his own mother,” DPP Arvindren told the court.

District Judge Tan then addressed Soo’s lawyers Chooi Jing Yen and Ng Yuan Siang from law firm Eugene Thuraisingam LLP. They had sought no more than one year of jail term for Soo.

The judge noted that Soo’s psychiatric conditions “stem from self-induced consumption of substances” and that he does not seem to be taking his medication for these problems.

He also questioned if Soo would take his medication once he is released from prison.

Referencing closed-circuit television footage of Soo’s violent spree that evening, the judge told Mr Chooi: “Random people were going about, he had a knife, he chased after a few. Thankfully, those people were able-bodied and could run.

“Think about it — if it was an older person or a handicapped person, not so mobile, what could have happened? Look at the number of people who traversed the area.”

The judge also said that the incident was "very disturbing".

The offence of criminal intimidation carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both.

For each charge of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, Soo can be jailed up to seven years, fined or caned. 

The same punishment applies for the offence of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty.