Jail for woman who held knife outside school in Tampines, stabbed herself when confronted by cops
A woman who made the headlines after she stabbed herself in the abdomen with a knife outside St Hilda’s Secondary School has been found to have opioid use and stimulant use disorders.
The prosecution also told the court that Juliana Abdul Kadir’s drug-induced psychotic disorder was self-induced.
Juliana, 53, was sentenced to six months’ jail on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to being in possession of a knife and a penknife blade outside the school in Tampines on Sept 19, 2022.
The prosecution said that a report from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) stated that she had opioid-use and stimulant (methamphetamine or Ice)-use disorders.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wu Yu Jie told the court: “At the time of her arrest, the accused was experiencing methamphetamine intoxication and a methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder with hallucinatory voices and paranoid delusions.
“That said, she is no longer psychotic and... the accused was not of unsound mind at the material time.”
DPP Wu, however, stressed that there is no established causal link between her offending and her psychiatric conditions, adding: “There is still nothing to suggest that she was carrying the knife in public in the manner she was because of her psychotic episode.
The psychotic disorder was incidental and unrelated to the charge of possession of two offensive weapons.”
At around 6.30pm on Sept 19, 2022, the police received a call from an eyewitness, stating that Juliana was seen waving a knife while talking on a mobile phone in Tampines Street 82.
Officers who arrived at the scene soon after spotted her walking along a road outside the school while holding a knife and talking on the phone.
DPP Wu said: “When police officers... warned her to put the knife down, she disregarded their instructions and continued to wave the knife around.
“The accused then used the knife to stab herself in the lower abdomen, causing profuse bleeding. The accused remained visibly agitated and continued to threaten to hurt herself if the police officers did not back off.”
During the confrontation, Juliana also held the knife to her neck and left wrist multiple times.
A Taser round was then discharged in an attempt to subdue the offender, but it missed her.
Officers later subdued Juliana and arrested her. They searched her belongings and found a knife, as well as a penknife blade, in her possession.
Investigations revealed that she had bought the knife about three days earlier, and that she had initially intended to use it to replace a blunt knife at home.
But on Sept 19, 2022, Juliana carried the new knife with her in public instead of leaving it at home.
As for the penknife blade, she claimed that she used it for cutting straws for the purpose of drug consumption.
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