The Bentley driver who forced his way into the entrance of Red Swastika School in Bedok and hurt a security guard in the process was sentenced to eight weeks in jail and a S$600 fine on Oct 19 (Wednesday).
Netizens have since commented that the sentence was too lenient as there was an injury involved.
Neo Hong Chye, 61, pleaded guilty to causing hurt through a rash act and driving without insurance.
The security guard, Neo Ah Whatt, 62, suffered from a bruised knee due to Neo driving his way into the school despite being stopped by the guard.
It was reported that Neo was waiting in the queue of cars on Jan 11, 2022, when he decided to cut into the lanes of other vehicles waiting to enter.
His attempt was foiled by the security guard, who asked Neo to go through the side gate instead.
A video of Neo slowly driving the Bentley against the security guard before exiting the vehicle went viral online.
The guard and the school’s Operations Manager repeatedly told Neo that he could not pass as he was not in the queue and that he has to go through the side gate instead.
Neo returned to the vehicle and drove his way forward, causing the security guard to stumble backwards.
After the second attempt, Neo was eventually let in by the Operations Manager.
The security guard later sought medical assistance as he felt pain in his right knee. He also filed a police report, and Neo was arrested.
Neo’s “rash and belligerent conduct behind the wheel of the Bentley demonstrated a plain disregard for the safety of the victim and surrounding pedestrians,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Ben Mathias Tan.
Meanwhile, Neo’s lawyer, John Lim, noted that his client was “genuinely remorseful” and tried to apologise to the security guard, reported Channel News Asia.
Neo did not mean to cut the queue as he was unfamiliar with the route when sending his granddaughter to school for the first time, added Lim.
Neo was also given a 12-month driving ban for the offence.
He could have been imprisoned for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both, for committing a rash act causing hurt.
“The rich always get away very lenient. If he is a taxi, lorry or platform driver, the sentence will be different,” commented Facebook user Eric Ng on the news.
“Injustice. What about medical damages to the guard who was being hit while doing his job properly? What about the law obeying parents who were cut queue?” asked Facebook user Janlyn Seow.
One Charles Tan wrote, “I think it offensive that Bentley driver gets off with such a light sentence. The message is resoundingly clear, ‘Poor life does not matter.'” /TISG
