SINGAPORE: After getting into an accident at an open-air carpark, a man left a fake contact number but was identified by a witness.
Jackson Ong did not have a valid driving licence at the time of the offence.
He also committed several other offences, including drug consumption and using his friend’s NRIC to rent several cars.
For his various crimes, the 30-year-old was sentenced to four years, four months and two weeks’ jail, six strokes of the cane and an S$800 fine after pleading guilty to nine charges on Wednesday (July 8).
The court heard that Ong had been driving home at about 8.10am on Nov 19, 2024.
When he reached the open-air carpark in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 where he lived, he collided with a stationary private ambulance while parking, causing it to collide with another stationary car.
Knowing that the vehicle owners were his neighbours, Ong left a fake contact number on their vehicles.
In August 2024, he also used a photocopy of his friend’s NRIC and driving licence to rent a Mazda 3 from a rental car company, as he did not have a licence.
The company repossessed the vehicle on Oct 10, 2024.
Investigations showed that Ong had used his friend’s details to rent two more cars from a different company in April 2025.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Joel Fun told the court that Ong’s friend received summons letters from the Housing Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority regarding the rental cars on June 17, 2025.
His friend lodged a police report.
Drug and weapon possession charges
On March 19, 2025, Ong was arrested at his home. Officers who searched the premises found packets of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Ong’s urine also tested positive for methamphetamine.
He was arrested again on June 24, 2025, in a rental flat, where officers once again found drugs on him.
They also found a knuckleduster in the unit. Ong admitted that he had bought it when he was in primary school. He said he knew it was an offence to keep the knuckleduster but had kept it because he liked it.
The DPP sought a jail term of between four years, four months and four weeks and four years, nine months and five weeks for Ong.
He also asked for six strokes of the cane, an $800 fine and a two-year driving disqualification to take effect upon Ong’s release from prison.
The DPP said that Ong’s offences involved the fraudulent use of his friend’s official documents.
Ong had also deceived the rental company into renting the cars to him.
He said: “The deception by the accused allowed him to obtain access to a motor vehicle despite lacking a valid driving licence.
“This created a high level of potential harm, which the accused did actualise by driving the vehicle without a valid driving licence or insurance, posing a danger to other road users.”
The prosecutor added that Ong was admitted to a drug rehabilitation centre in 2018 for consuming methamphetamine.
For driving without a valid licence, an offender can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.
For cheating by personation, an offender may be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
