BUKIT MERTAJAM: A witness told the Magistrate’s Court here that he began to worry about his friend Moey Yun Peng after reading news of an accident involving a car which plunged into the sea from the Penang Bridge.
Tan Wei Jie, 22, who is a student at a private college in Penang, said he was unaware the crash involved Moey and it was only after watching a viral video of the crash showing a white Mazda CX-5 car that he began to feel uneasy.
“On that Thursday morning (Jan 20,2019), I read the news of an accident only in the Chinese-language newspaper, Kwong Wah Yit Poh.
“At that time I did not suspect anything, as there was no mention of the car involved in the accident.
“It was only at 2pm when I saw a video of the crash on my Facebook page and I saw it was Moey’s car.
“I immediately called him on the telephone several times but the calls went unanswered, ” he added.
Tan was testifying at the trial of former hairdressing salon worker, K. Vaitheswaran, 21, who was charged with causing the death of Moey, a college student, whose sports utility vehicle (SUV) fell into the sea after crashing on the Penang Bridge on Jan 20 last year.
On Feb 11 last year, Vaitheswaran was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. If found guilty, he could be imprisoned for up to 10 years, fined up to RM20,000 and disqualified from holding a driving licence for up to three years.
In court yesterday, Tan continued his testimony by saying he and a few friends met at a coffee shop to discuss the crash involving the Mazda CX-5 car.
They then went to look for Moey’s father at his house in Raja Uda, Butterworth, as they were unable to get Moey on the phone.
“At the same time we also contacted Moey’s girlfriend. She told us that she did not know about the crash, but that she could contact Moey’s mother to check.
“The girlfriend then told us that Moey’s mother had not seen her son since the day before, ” said Tan.
Tan said he and his friends also went to see Moey’s father at his house.
When informed that Moey was not at home, they, including Moey’s father, went to the Butterworth police station to lodge a report and inquire about the crash but were told to go to the Bukit Mertajam police station.
“At the Bukit Mertajam police station, we were shown a mobile phone and a car registration number plate.
“We made a call to Moey’s phone and the telephone rang and the plate bore Moey’s car registration number, and because of that we were certain Moey was involved in the crash, ” he said.
Earlier Tan, who was Moey’s friend since they were in secondary school, said on the night before the crash (Jan 19,2019), he, Moey, Vaitheswaran and a few others had attended a friend’s birthday celebration at a pub on Love Lane in George Town. They were there between 10pm and 2.20am the next day.
After the party ended, Tan said he was sent home by a friend, Tan Yiew Jing, who also took along Moey, who had left his car at Yiew Jing’s house.
The hearing continues on April 27. — Bernama
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