SINGAPORE: The man who allegedly caused a six-vehicle crash that killed two people, including a Temasek Junior College student, was back in court to face a fresh charge.
Muhammad Syafie Ismail appeared in the State Courts on June 9, when he was handed a fourth dangerous driving charge for the fatal accident on April 22, 2024.
His new charge states that his dangerous driving caused grievous hurt to two other motorists – Chia Tong Chai, 65, and Muhammad Azril Mahmood, 49.
Azril was driving his daughter, 17-year-old Afifah Munirah Muhammad Azril, a first-year student at Temasek Junior College, to her annual school run when the accident occurred.
Afifah was one of two people who died in the accident on April 22, 2024. The other was 57-year-old senior technician Norzihan Juwahib.
Syafie, 44, was earlier charged with dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing hurt, dangerous driving, and failing to stop after an accident.
He now faces five charges in total. The prosecution said it is ready to proceed on three charges, with two others being taken into consideration for sentencing.
Syafie has been out on $30,000 bail since he was handed his first charge on April 25, 2024.
As part of his bail conditions, he is not allowed to have contact with any of the prosecution witnesses and must report to the investigation officer when required.
He has been also electronically tagged.
The prosecution, in earlier proceedings, said he has to be monitored because he is a flight risk and also as a result of the serious charges he is facing.
According to court documents, Syafie allegedly failed to stop at a red traffic light signal as he was driving towards Tampines Avenue 4 on the morning of April 22, 2024.
As a result, the car he was driving collided with two other motor vehicles, causing one to spin and crash into a van before overturning. The van then slammed into a minibus.
The accident occurred at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4 and involved four cars, a van and a mini bus. A 17-year-old girl and a 57-year-old woman died after an accident involving six vehicles in Tampines on the morning of April 22, 2024.
The accident also resulted in injuries for Lee Yau Meng, 42; Weng Haifeng, 42; and Mohammad Azman Mohd Enjah, 39.
Two 11-year-old boys were also injured in the crash.
Syafie’s case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on June 26.
Those convicted of dangerous driving causing death can be jailed between two and eight years, and can be disqualified from driving.
The offence of dangerous driving causing hurt carries a penalty of up to two years’ jail, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
