NEW DELHI: A 24-year-old man of Indian origin, Devesh Raj Rajasegaran, has been sentenced to five weeks in jail by a court in Singapore for punching a police officer while intoxicated during an argument involving a rowdy crowd of over 10 men. The punch was so forceful that it rendered the officer unconscious “for at least a minute” and caused him to experience temporary memory loss, as reported by TODAY newspaper.
The incident occurred on June 25, 2022, around 3 am, when four police officers, three of whom were volunteer officers, were dispatched to Circular Road in the central business district following a public report of “more than 10 people having an argument.”
Despite pleading guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt in March this year, Devesh plans to appeal the sentence.
Prior to the officers’ arrival, Devesh and his friend Eeshwar Ravi had been drinking alcohol nearby. The officers, who were in civilian clothes, approached the group involved in the commotion.
As the victim and another officer were interviewing a member of the group, Devesh confronted the individual being interviewed and threw a punch, striking the police officer on the left side of his head.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Brian Tan said in court documents, “The accused was intoxicated when he punched the victim. As a result of the accused’s punch, the victim lost consciousness for at least a minute.”
The officer was transported to the Singapore General Hospital by ambulance, drifting in and out of consciousness several times during the journey. He was given seven days’ hospitalisation leave and reported experiencing temporary memory loss and severe headaches for at least three days following the incident.
The maximum penalty for voluntarily causing hurt in Singapore is a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to SGD5,000, or both.
The incident occurred on June 25, 2022, around 3 am, when four police officers, three of whom were volunteer officers, were dispatched to Circular Road in the central business district following a public report of “more than 10 people having an argument.”
Despite pleading guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt in March this year, Devesh plans to appeal the sentence.
Prior to the officers’ arrival, Devesh and his friend Eeshwar Ravi had been drinking alcohol nearby. The officers, who were in civilian clothes, approached the group involved in the commotion.
As the victim and another officer were interviewing a member of the group, Devesh confronted the individual being interviewed and threw a punch, striking the police officer on the left side of his head.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Brian Tan said in court documents, “The accused was intoxicated when he punched the victim. As a result of the accused’s punch, the victim lost consciousness for at least a minute.”
The officer was transported to the Singapore General Hospital by ambulance, drifting in and out of consciousness several times during the journey. He was given seven days’ hospitalisation leave and reported experiencing temporary memory loss and severe headaches for at least three days following the incident.
The maximum penalty for voluntarily causing hurt in Singapore is a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to SGD5,000, or both.