Drunk man who jumped into canal to evade capture after harassing churchgoers jailed, fined
SINGAPORE — A man who fled the police by jumping into Rochor Canal after harassing churchgoers at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes was jailed for five days’ and fined $2,500 on Tuesday (3 September).
Rajendran Prakash, an Indian national, was apprehended after a police officer jumped into the canal after him. His dramatic arrest was captured on video and widely shared online.
The 27-year-old maintenance officer pleaded guilty to one charge under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act for causing annoyance while drunk and one charge under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) for using abusive words on a police officer. Another charge under the POHA was taken into consideration for his sentencing.
On 29 September last year, Rajendran went to the Bugis area after getting his salary. He then bought alcohol and consumed it.
At about 1pm that day, a male churchgoer, Eu Seng Kee, was praying at Church of Our Lady Lourdes, located at 50 Ophir Road, when he heard a commotion.
He saw Rajendran touching and embracing a female churchgoer. Eu also saw Rajendran rubbing the churchgoer’s arm and noted that the she appeared uneasy and frightened.
He advised her to move away from Rajendran. But Rajendran continued to follow the female churchgoer and behaved in a rowdy manner.
Eventually, another man intervened and noted that Rajendran smelt strongly of alcohol. Without warning, Rajendran slapped the man on the face.
In self-defence, the man pinned Rajendran to the ground but later released him and helped him stand up. Rajendran was told to behave himself.
The man then told the priest at the church to call the police.
Jumping in the canal
According to an earlier report by Yahoo News Singapore, Rajendran jumped into Rochor Canal and swam into a tunnel. A police officer jumped in after him and apprehended him.
While on the way to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Rajendran was uncooperative and behaved aggressively. He insulted a female police officer and showed her his middle finger many times, despite being told to calm down.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew asked for a $3,000 fine for the harassment charge and a short jail term for the charge under the Liquor Control Act.
DPP Chew said that Rajendran had “caused significant annoyance in the course of his drunken state, including slapping the (man) and embracing a churchgoer.”
His pro-bono lawyer, John Koh, said that Rajendran was remorseful and pleaded guilty early as a sign of “utter remorse”.
“My client was at the time facing immense pressure to perform at work, and working long hours which eventually led to tremendous amount of stress,” said Koh.
The lawyer said that his client’s sole motive in Singapore was to work to earn money for his family in his home country.
“Although my client understands his actions are reprehensible, I would ask the court to take into consideration the difficulty he faces as a foreign worker in a foreign land,” said Koh.
His client has since abstained from drinking as his offence arose over over-consumption of alcohol, said the lawyer.
Koh asked for a short jail term and a low fine for his client, given his financial capability.
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