Singapore—Thirty-five-year-old Lee Cheng Yan has been found guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt when he dragged police officer Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar Abd Kahar in his Maserati at a speed between 79 km/h to 84 km/h in an incident on November 17, 2017 at Bedok Reservoir Road.
He was convicted by District Judge Ng Peng Hong on Wednesday, December 4, who also found him guilty of nine additional charges, which includes obstruction of justice and failing to stop after the accident.
This is aside from 59 other charges that Mr Lee is facing, that have to do with illegal money lending and online gambling, which will be ruled on later.
Additionally, on the day when he dragged the police officer, he was actually forbidden from driving due to previous traffic violations, and lacked the required third-party risk insurance for his Maserati when the incident occurred.
On that day, Officer Khairulanwar apprehended Mr Lee as he drove down Bedok Reservoir Road shortly before 9:30 in the evening, as he had seen that Mr Lee had no seat belt on.
The officer then approached the driver’s side of Mr Lee’s car. When he stood beside Mr Lee’s open window, the driver of the Maserati “fled the scene by suddenly reversing the Maserati, before accelerating quickly forward while the victim was standing next to the driver-seat door,” according to Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh.
Unfortunately, Officer Khairulanwar’s uniform got stuck in the car window, and he was dragged for over 100 meters, finally falling on the road.
Mr Lee then drove away.
The policeman sustained pain in his right knee, neck and lower back, and had to take 20 days’ medical leave.
Mr Lee left the Maserati near Aljunied Road, at Willow Avenue, and later sought refuge with a friend, Jeff Chan, who tried to convince him to turn himself in. He borrowed a shirt from Mr Chan and threw his own shirt away.
He was eventually arrested at Mr Chan’s house at 2 o’clock in the morning on November 18 and charged in court on that same day.
Mr Lee claimed his innocence, saying he had lent his car to an acquaintance known as “Kelvin,” whom his defence team had never been able to produce at his trials. Nor was Mr Lee himself able to give any pertinent information about “Kelvin“ such as his last name or address.
Concerning Kelvin, Senthilkumaran Sabapathy, the Deputy Public Prosecutor on the case told Mr Lee, “You are obviously lying.”
The other DPP, Timotheus Koh, said, “The defence is conspicuously silent on the fact that the accused has, to date, failed to produce this Kelvin, even though Kelvin is key to the defence’s case.
He said Kelvin was the driver, Kelvin caused grievous hurt, Kelvin drove dangerously. Kelvin is a cornerstone to the defence’s case.
Yet all they can muster … is that the accused was not asked by the prosecution and the police for more details about Kelvin.”
As he has been deemed a serious flight risk, Mr Lee’s bail was increased from S$10,000 to S$70,000. He will be back in court on January 14, 2020.
If he is found guilty, he may receive a maximum jail term of 15 years, as well as caning and/or a fine. -/TISG
Read related: Maserati driver plows into and drags traffic police officer before fleeing
Maserati driver plows into and drags traffic police officer before fleeing