More jail term for man who slashed fellow inmate’s face, Latest Singapore News

A recalcitrant offender was serving his sentence in Changi Prison for charges including armed robbery, in which he used an improvised bladed weapon to knock down another inmate, causing permanent facial injuries.

For his latest offense, Karrtik Stalniraj was sentenced on November 1 to three years and two months in prison and four strokes of the cane.

He will begin serving this sentence after completing his previous prison sentence of five years, eight months and five weeks, twelve strokes of the cane and a $3,000 fine.

That sentence was handed down on May 23, 2022 for, among other things, belonging to a group that robbed a licensed Jurong East lender of $48,000 while armed with knives in November 2020.

In the latest case, the 25-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to using a weapon to cause serious harm to his fellow inmate in December 2022.

Lawyer Wee Hong Shern said there was an argument between his client and the victim before the attack on December 13, 2022.

The lawyer said the victim was supervising the laundry operations when Karrtik discovered that his white shirt had turned blue after washing.

Mr Wee told the court: “This was against procedure as shirts and trousers had to be washed separately. Our client knew that (the victim) was negligent or lazy in having his shirt and pants washed.”

According to court documents, Karrtik told his officer about the discolored shirt but said nothing that would place blame on the victim.

But on September 4, 2022, the victim confronted Karrtik and demanded to know why he had complained to the officer about his clothing, Mr Wee said.

The court heard the victim then challenged Karrtik to a fight before an officer intervened.

In early December 2022, Karrtik was having an interview with his parents in a room when the victim interrupted him three times, including leering at his parents, Mr Wee said.

The lawyer added: “Our client was angry and upset that (the victim) had senselessly made his parents feel unsafe and worried… Without closure, our client’s resentment began to fester.”

Things came to a head when Karrtik saw the victim shortly before 2:30 PM on December 13, 2022.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Yee Jia Rong told the court: “With the makeshift knife in his hand, the suspect walked up to the victim from behind and tapped him on the shoulder.

“When the victim turned around, the suspect struck the victim in the face with the knife… The knife cut the victim’s skin on his left cheek and drew blood. The suspect then ran away before being stopped by… law enforcement officers.”

After the attack, the victim went to the emergency department of Changi General Hospital, where he was found with a 15cm wound on the left side of his face.

The prosecutor also said Karrtik had committed multiple crimes since 2014, including theft, before being tried in court in 2022 for being part of the armed robbery.