SINGAPORE, Aug 8 — After having several cups of hard liquor with a friend, Muhammad Amin Mohamed Noor drove home.
Going along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 at a speed that was about 30km/h over the limit, he crashed into the rear of 70-year-old Ho Swee Hai’s motorcycle. Instead of stopping to help, he drove off and then sent his lorry to a workshop for repairs.
As Ho was lying on the road, an SBS Transit double-decker bus ran over him. He died of multiple injuries that morning.
The next day, Amin lied to his employer about the damage to the lorry, saying that he had collided into a lamppost the night before.
Amin, a 29-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced yesterday to two years’ jail and disqualified from holding or getting all classes of driving licences for 10 years after his release.
The former delivery driver with MoBetter Food Wholesaler pleaded guilty to four charges of causing Ho’s death by a rash act, failing to stop after an accident, failing to render assistance and obstructing the course of justice.
Four other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
Drank vodka
The court heard that on February 20 last year, Amin reported for his shift at 8am and ended work at 10pm. He then drove his lorry to Yishun Dam, where he drank six to seven cups of vodka and chatted with a friend.
Amin then drove his friend home to Yishun before going home himself. He had been awake for at least 22 hours and was feeling tipsy.
At around 6am, he was speeding at 90km/h to 100km/h along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 towards Upper Thomson Road. The speed limit there was 60km/h.
Visibility was clear and traffic flow was light at the time.
He failed to keep a proper lookout and drove directly into Ho’s motorcycle without slowing down. Ho was flung off and landed on the road.
Amin noticed what had happened but fled the scene. He stopped his lorry at the side of the road for five minutes to compose himself, then drove home while swerving from left to right in a dangerous manner.
He also side-swiped an off-duty SMRT bus along Upper Thomson Road.
After Amin fled, two passers-by came across Ho and placed a black plastic bag over his body after noticing he was already dead. Another member of the public called the police.
When Amin got home, he slept and went back to work a few hours later.
He realised the lorry was damaged, but decided to drive it to deliver goods anyway. The front portion of the vehicle was crumpled, its windscreen was cracked and the right side view mirror was broken, too.
After unloading the undelivered goods at a company office, he called his employer and lied that he had crashed into a lamppost.
As their company had rented the lorry, his employer told him to take it to an authorised workshop.
An investigation officer had to spend more time tracking down where the lorry was due to Amin’s actions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kenneth Kee told the court.
In mitigation, Amin — who did not have a lawyer — said that he regretted his actions and is now having difficulties finding a job.
For causing death by a rash act, he could have been jailed for up to five years or fined, or both. — TODAY
