On Monday (10 July), the court sentenced a 25-year-old man to nine years and 18 months’ jail as well as a S$4,000 fine for attacking a police officer.
Nikhil M. Durgude punched and kicked an officer during a police operation back in 2020.
As such, the sentence included a two-year jail term for the assault.
According to The Straits Times (ST), he had pleaded guilty to eight charges. These included voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty, possessing cannabis, and the consumption of methamphetamine.
The court also took 15 other charges against Nikhil into consideration during sentencing.
On 5 Nov 2020, three officers visited a unit at City Suites in Balestier as part of a raid investigating a string of cheating cases.
The officers included Senior Staff Sergeant Chua Ming Cheng and Inspector Zheng Yiyang.
Nikhil and two others, Prakash Mathivanan, then 36, and Malani Naidu Prabhakar Naidu, then 33, were in the living room when the police arrived.
The officers ordered the three of them to squat down with their hands on their heads. They complied but started talking amongst themselves soon after.
Senior Staff Sergeant Chua instructed them to stop talking.
However, it was at that moment that Prakash pounced towards the officer, causing him to fall. Prakash proceeded to hit Senior Staff Sergeant Chua in the face and upper body.
Seeing the tussle, Inspector Zheng drew his gun and pointed it towards Prakash and Nikhil. He commanded Prakash to stop attacking Senior Staff Sergeant Chua, only for Prakash to rush towards him and grab the hand holding the firearm.
During the struggle, Prakash suffered a gunshot to his abdomen.
When Senior Staff Sergeant Chua attempted to get up to help Inspector Zheng, Nikhil jumped up.
He then began punching and kicking the officer repeatedly.
Source: engin akyurt on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only
As Senior Staff Sergeant Chua lay on the ground, Nikhil continued to assault and hurl insults at him.
Soon after, two other officers entered the unit. That was when Nikhil stopped hitting Senior Staff Sergeant Chua, whose face was already covered in blood.
The police then quickly apprehended Nikhil and his accomplices.
Nikhil later tested positive for methamphetamine when he was at the Central Police Division headquarters.
As a result of the gunshot, Prakash had to be conveyed to the hospital for treatment.
Senior Staff Sergeant Chua also received treatment for a forehead cut and abrasions on his arms.
Per ST, district court Judge Jasvender Kaur said Nikhil’s actions and words during the incident showed his “utter disregard for authority”.
He added that officers deserve to feel assured that they will be adequately protected by the law.
Earlier in August 2022, the court had sentenced Prakash to three years and 10 months’ jail for theft, cheating and drug-related offences.
Some other charges against Prakash are still pending. They include voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty.
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Featured image adapted from SingHaiyi and by MS News.
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