A 25-year-old Indian national named Udaiyappan Vasanth failed to give way to a cyclist crossing the road at a zebra crossing.
Posted Date – 11:48 AM, Tue – 05/09/23
Photo: IANS
Singapore: A 25-year-old Indian national has been sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to one charge of causing death by driving without reasonable consideration for other road users and with intent to obstruct justice.
Udaiyappan Vasanth was also disqualified from holding or taking all driving license courses for eight years from the date of his release. When he was driving a van in Singapore, he failed to give way to a cyclist at a zebra crossing, which resulted in an accident. Abdul Aziz Saeed Mohamed, a 64-year-old cyclist, died in hospital on April 16, 2022.
Instead of confessing, Udaiyappan managed to convince his colleague Rajendhiran Chelladurai to take responsibility, The Straits Times reported. Udaiyappan had a driving licence, but it was on a one-year probationary period. Rajendhiran, 28, also an Indian national, was jailed for three months earlier in April. Shortly before the accident, he was driving along Eunos Road at about 5pm on April 16, 2022, when he approached the slip road of the Pan Island Expressway to Tuas. Rajendhiran was in the front passenger seat at the time.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wu Junkai said that although the truck had been installed with an on-board camera, the scene of the accident could not be photographed because the memory card was damaged. He also told the court there was moderate traffic at the time of the incident, the road was dry and the weather was clear with good visibility.
Another driver called the police, and an ambulance took Abdulaziz to Changi General Hospital, where he was found with injuries, including a fractured skull. He was pronounced dead shortly before 7pm that evening.
Two days later, Rajendhiran and Udaiyappan learned from their employer that Abdul Aziz did not survive the accident. Rajendhiran told Udaiyappan that he no longer wanted to take responsibility for the crime, and the two agreed to tell the truth to the police. Udaiyappan confessed what he did on April 19, 2022.
Driving causing death without reasonable consideration for other road users can lead to a jail term of up to three years and a fine of up to S$10,000. For obstruction of justice, offenders can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
