Technician jailed 3 months for assaulting police officers

SINGAPORE — A technician with Singtel was sentenced to three months' jail on Wednesday (June 20), after pleading guilty to kicking a police officer in the abdomen.

The court heard that Ramar Katturaja, 28, had drunk eight cans of beer while out with his brother and two friends on the evening of May 12, 2017.

When Ramar became too intoxicated to walk, they tried to send him home, but he laid on the ground at the junction of Serangoon Road and Belilios Road.

Police sergeant Shawn Chen then approached Ramar to check on him. Ramar did not respond, instead, he kicked Sergeant Chen in the abdomen without any warning.

Sergeant Chen sustained bruises to his stomach, and was given a day of medical leave.

Ramar was subsequently arrested. Staff Sergeant Tan Kok Leong arrived at the scene with his partner shortly after the arrest, and escorted Ramar to the police vehicle.

While Ramar appeared calm in the car, when asked if he knew where he was, he replied loudly, "I know!", before starting to struggle.

Staff Sergeant Tan attempted to keep him in his seat, but Ramar headbutted him and left a bruise on his forehead.

Staff Sergeant Tan's colleagues then helped to hold him down, but he continued to resist despite being given several warnings. Two police officers held him in the car for at least seven minutes as he continued to struggle and shout at them.

He was eventually subdued and brought to a police van. He continued to struggle, and officers had to prevent him from continually hitting his head on the floor of the vehicle as he was brought to the police station.

Asking for at least four months' imprisonment, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dwayne Lum said that violence against police officers "must be empathically discouraged".

"Just one intoxicated individual caused two officers to be injured in the line of duty, with several more required to subdue him," he added.

Ramar's lawyer Rajwin Singh Sandhu, who sought 10 weeks' jail, said it was "ironic" that the place where he had been drinking at was next to a police station, and that his actions were "one-off".

Ramar's employer had written a letter saying it was out of character, and the Indian national had worked in Singapore for eight years without getting into trouble, said his lawyer.

Ramar could have been jailed up to seven years, fined, or caned, or any combination of the three.