Prosecution seeks up to 13.5 years in jail for driver in fatal Tampines crash

Prosecutors are seeking up to 13-and-a-half years in prison for a driver who ran a red light at high speed and caused a chain collision in Tampines that killed two people. Both sides are also seeking a lifetime driving ban for 45-year-old Singaporean Muhammad Syafie Ismail.

The crash occurred during peak hour on April 22, 2024, when many vehicles were carrying parents and children to school. The victims who died were a 17-year-old girl being driven to school by her father and a 57-year-old woman travelling in the back of a van.

Syafie began speeding while trying to overtake another driver in Bedok. He reached at least 122 kmh, side-swiped the other car, then swerved between lanes along Bedok Reservoir Road. He narrowly missed a motorcyclist before entering the junction of Bedok Reservoir Road, Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4 at between 129 kmh and 134 kmh. The traffic light had been red for at least 26 seconds, while vehicles were crossing from both directions.

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severe damage

He struck three vehicles, which spun into a van and a school bus. Three people suffered grievous injuries, some requiring multiple surgeries, while five others were injured. Two 11-year-old children required hospital treatment. Some victims later developed post-traumatic stress disorder, and the mother of the teenage victim developed major depressive disorder and felt that life had lost its meaning.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Niranjan Ranjakunalan cited the deaths, injuries and property damage in seeking a sentence of 12 years and nine months to 13-and-a-half years. Repairs to a lamp post and green railing cost about S$1,317, while damage to five vehicles has not been quantified because victims are pursuing separate insurance claims. The defence is seeking seven-and-a-half to eight years, saying in mitigation that the accident was an "unusu" circumstance, as the supplied report excerpt ends mid-sentence.

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unusu