Three days ago, a massive multi-vehicle accident occured at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4, resulting in two deaths.
The car driver of the black Saab, which caused the accident, was arrested on 24 April after being discharged from hospital. His driving licence was suspended with immediate effect.
He went to court this morning and has been handed four charges.
Suspect Has Been Handed Four Charges
Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 42, was charged on 25 April with:
- Dangerous driving causing death;
- Dangerous driving causing hurt;
- Dangerous driving; and
- Failing to stop after an accident.
Muhammad was offered a bail of $30,000 and must not have contact with any of the prosecution witnesses.
Those found guilty of dangerous driving causing death can be jailed between two and eight years as well as be disqualified from driving.
The offence of dangerous driving causing hurt can cause Muhammad to be jailed for up to two years, fined $10,000 or both.
Dangerous driving carries a penalty of up to 12 months in jail, a fine of $5,000, or both.
Those convicted of failing to stop after an accident can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $1,000, or both.
Suspect In Court On 25 April
Muhammad arrived at the State Courts this morning at around 8:30am, escorted by police and Aetos officers.
He wore a cap, sunglasses, and a mask, and had his right arm in a sling.
He wore an expressionless look on his face as he stood before the judge at 10am.
When the judge asked Muhammad if he wished to say anything, he said he will be engaging a lawyer.
Noting Muhammad’s possibility as a flight risk, the prosecution requested that he be electronically tagged for monitoring.
Muhammad responded by saying he did not think it was necessary as all his documents and his passport have been seized by the police. He said he is on bail and was present in court today, and added that he will be present for all the court matters.
“But it is up to the court to make the decision,” Muhammad concluded.
According to police, investigations are ongoing for other potential offences.
Case To Resume In Six Weeks
The prosecution applied for an extension of the case to give police more time to investigate thoroughly. The prosecution added that they may add more charges.
The case will resume in court on 7 June. Until then, Muhammad is to wear an electronic tracker throughout his bail period.
The Accident
At around 7am on 22 April, a crash involving four cars, a van, and a minibus occurred.
The accident killed 57-year-old Madam Norzihan Juwahib and 17-year-old Afifah Munirah Muhammad Azril.
Madam Norzihan was a passenger in a van on her way to work when the crash happened. She was a senior technician at pest control firm First Choice Pest Specialist and worked there for around 10 years.
Afifah was a JC Year 1 student at Temasek Junior College, and was a passenger on the way to take part in her school’s annual cross-country event.
Madam Norzihan and Afifah were buried one grave apart at Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery on 23 April.
Afifah’s father, Mr Muhammad Azril, was driving the car when the crash occurred, causing their car to turn turtle with its doors flung open. He suffered kidney- and spine-related injuries and he has been discharged from surgery.
Before the accident occurred, Afifah’s father had dropped off his wife at work and his other daughter at her secondary school.
Five other people, including two 11-year-old boys, were also taken to hospital.
Black Saab Had Been Speeding Prior To Accident, White Mercedes Allegedly Challenged Him
In dashboard camera footage uploaded online, Muhammad’s black Saab was seen speeding past a white Mercedes.
It seemed the white Mercedes sped up to “challenge” Muhammad before the black Saab forced the Mercedes onto the curb.
Immediately after that, Muhammad’s black Saab sped up for a few seconds before crashing into vehicles at the Tampines junction.
The footage caused many netizens to pin part of the blame on the driver of the white Mercedes, saying he played a part in the accident.
Mr Anthony Soon Han Tiong, a senior adviser at car repair and maintenance firm Success United, uploaded the white Mercedes’ dashboard camera footage to the internet on behalf of the driver who did not have a social media account.
Netizens have mistaken him for the driver of the white Mercedes, and a Reddit post from the alleged driver of the white Mercedes (which likely is fake) only fanned the flames.
Mr Soon has been receiving death threats against him and his family for posting the footage, and has since filed a police report.
In a Facebook post, Mr Soon pleaded with online users, saying, “I will seek your kind understanding not to share pictures of my kids and family member.”