SINGAPORE, July 2 — Police are investigating a man’s claim that he was a student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said today.
Jarrett Tee Lee Kiat stated during police investigations on March 8 that he was enrolled full-time at NUS, a detail later included in the statement of facts agreed upon by both prosecution and defence when he pleaded guilty on June 27, according to a report published in The Straits Times today.
However, NUS clarified there are no records showing Tee was ever affiliated with the university, contradicting earlier court documents and media reports.
“Tee’s status as a student was not material to charges that he had faced and was not a factor taken into consideration for sentencing,” an AGC spokesperson said in response to media queries.
Tee was sentenced last week over a fatal crash on the East Coast Parkway (ECP) that killed 18-year-old pillion rider Leann Lim Jia Le and injured motorcyclist Kovan Tan, 27.
In February, Tee had rented a Mercedes-Benz and was allegedly engaging in reckless driving behaviour with a motorcycle before the collision, reaching speeds of up to 160km/h.
He reportedly asked his passengers, “Do you want to see motorcycle fly?” before swerving to block the motorcycle as it attempted to overtake, causing it to crash and throw its riders several metres away.
Lim suffered severe brain injuries and died in hospital, while Tan sustained abrasions and a hand laceration.
Tee was arrested at the scene and initially blamed the motorcyclist, claiming he had been tailgated and high-beamed.
After his release on bail, Tee was quoted telling a friend, “Why scared? Who ask her to piss me off? The accident (that) caused her death is what she deserved.”
Authorities have confirmed they are now reviewing the veracity of Tee’s claim regarding his NUS affiliation.
