Man Accused of Punching Priest in Church Charged With Assaulting 12 People

A man who allegedly punched a priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit was charged with hurting or using criminal force on at least 12 people, including three at another church.

- Christine Tan

Huang Guang Zheng, 22, was charged with voluntarily causing hurt by hitting Father Cary Chan on his face at the Roman Catholic church in Upper Thomson Road on Feb 9.

He was also charged with causing damage to a wooden door of the church by slamming it against the wall six times and toppling a potted plant.

Huang was handed 21 charges on Aug 18, including nine counts of voluntarily causing hurt, five counts of using criminal force, four counts of mischief and three charges of being a public nuisance.

Father Chan, the church's assistant parish priest, had told the media then that Huang is visually impaired and has special needs.

Huang also allegedly hurt three people at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jurong East in August 2024, and eight others at public places including MRT stations and hawker centres.