SINGAPORE: A man who allegedly drove a rental car into a Geylang night market stall in July 2025, killing a woman, was charged on Wednesday (Sept 2).
Muhammad Shafiq Razali, 41, was handed seven charges.
They included driving under the influence of drugs, dangerous driving causing death as a serious offender, driving without a valid licence, and dangerous driving as a serious offender.
He was also charged with using a vehicle without insurance coverage, failing to stop and provide his particulars after an accident, and failing to render assistance after an accident.
Appearing in court on Sept 2, Shafiq asked for his case to be adjourned as he wanted to hire a lawyer.
The prosecution asked for Shafiq’s bail to be set at S$100,000, given that they were seeking a jail term of between 15 and 16 years’ jail, and a driving disqualification period of 20 to 23 years on a claim trial basis.
Standing in the dock, Shafiq was shocked at the bail amount. He will be remanded until his next court date on Oct 9, as his bailor is unable to afford the bail amount.
Charge sheets stated that Shafiq had allegedly lost control of the car and pressed on the accelerator excessively, causing it to surge forward and crash through a car park barrier before crossing Pipit Road, near Block 52A Circuit Road, on July 11, 2025.
He had allegedly been driving while under the influence of etomidate.
The vehicle then mounted a kerb before colliding with a temporary night market stall along the road.
A 67-year-old female stall attendant was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shafiq allegedly did not help her but fled with his male passenger.
Before the fatal crash, Shafiq was said to have been driving dangerously by weaving in between lanes along Circuit Road before Merpati Road.
He was also allegedly speeding along Merpati Road, and weaving between lanes along Aljunied Road before MacPherson Road.
As Shafiq purportedly did not possess a licence, the vehicle was rented by his male passenger, who died after an unrelated road accident.
Shafiq was arrested the next day.
In May, the Ministry of Home Affairs said there were 38 accidents linked to drug and etomidate use between 2023 and 2025.
Of these, 19 were fatal. Nine of these involved etomidate, while the remaining 10 involved only drugs.
In 2025 alone, there were 18 road accidents involving etomidate. There was only one case involving etomidate in 2024.
No etomidate-related cases were reported in 2023.
For driving under the influence of drugs, an offender can be fined between $2,000 and $10,000, jailed for up to a year, or both.
For dangerous driving causing death, an offender can be jailed for up to eight years, and be disqualified from driving.
Those convicted of driving without a valid licence can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
