A 56-year-old Singapore businessman, who drove his car against the traffic flow and caused the death of another motorist as well as injuries to four other people almost three years ago, was sentenced to a year's jail on Monday and banned from driving for 12 years.
The convict pleaded guilty in October to a charge of causing death by a rash act. Another four charges, three for causing grievous hurt and one for causing hurt, were considered during sentencing. The convict, Lim Chai Heng, was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving but it was upgraded to culpable homicide before it was amended to the current charge.
On December 2016, when the accident happened, the 56-year-old convict was driving his son from their Hougang home to his new workplace in Depot Road. When drove past the Braddell Road exit, his son asked why he did not take the exit to avoid paying Electronic Road Pricing charges and in a reply, Lim asked the boy to stop worrying.
As per the reports, instead of getting out at the Jalan Bukit Merah exit, Lim continued driving into the AYE towards Tuas and after travelling about 23 km he reached the Tuas Checkpoint and drove into the motorcycle lane, which became too narrow for his car to pass through. Then he made a three-point turn and drove against the flow of traffic. Due to Lim's careless actions, 37-year-old motorist Tan Han Boon along with his Mazda 6 collided with a bus before hitting a concrete wall.
Then Lim hit another car driven by actor Jackie Liong Kuo Hwa, 38, whose 40-year-old wife was in the front passenger seat. The convict also crashed into a scooter, causing rider Teh Tze Yong and his wife Choo Yat Chiam to be flung from the vehicle. After the accident, Liong died due to multiple injuries and the bike riders suffered multiple abrasions.
However, the court heard that Lim was suffering from acute psychosis at the time of the accident which is a mental disorder where one loses touch with reality, remains unclear. The convict told an Institute of Mental Health (IMH) psychiatrist that when he saw cars and motorcycles coming towards him, he "knew finished already" and that "if not others hit (him), (he) will hit others".
