Motorist jailed five years for reckless driving that caused senior citizen's death

PORT DICKSON: A 23-year-old man was sentenced to five years' jail by a Magistrate's Court here Monday (March 11) after he pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving which caused the death of a 68-year-old motorcyclist.

Magistrate Uthman Abdul Ghani also ordered G. Khishen Kumar, who was 21 when the incident occurred, to pay a RM20,000 fine in default six months' jail; and barred him from driving for five years.

The accused was charged with committing the offence at 10.25pm on June 29, 2022 along KM5 Jalan Seremban near Lukut.

He was charged under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 which provides for a jail term of between five and 10 years and a fine of between RM20,000 and RM50,000 if found guilty.

Nadia Ezzati Mohd Zainal prosecuted while the accused was represented by Fatin Nur Athirah Zainudin from the Legal Aid Bureau.

Khishen had claimed trial when first charged on April 5 last year with driving under the influence of alcohol and crashing into the motorcyclist.

The initial charge under Section 44(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 carried a jail term of between 10 and 15 years and a fine of between RM50,000 and RM100,000 upon conviction.

Offenders can also be barred from holding a driving licence for 10 years.

His defence team filed a representation and he was then charged under Section 41(1) of the Act instead.