Singaporean man in viral post who switched license plates fined S$2,620

Johor Baru— On May 18, a man caught on camera switching the car license plate on his gold-coloured BMW 302i while at a gas station in Johor pleaded guilty and fined S$2,620 for the offence.

The Singaporean man, Tan Hock Lai (44) was caught in the act by another Singaporean driver.

The photo originally posted on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook group went viral and caught the attention of authorities.

The driver took the photo in Gelang Patah, Johor which is 10 minutes away from the Tuas Checkpoint. Tan alighted from his vehicle and took out a license plate which he then switched from SLX27E to another with a registration number SKD2777C.

Tan then drove off from the gas station. Roughly an hour after he switched the BMW’s license plates, Tan was caught speeding in a highway in Malaysia. The RM150 (S$49) summons, however, was issued to a Hyundai Elantra that did not belong to Tan.

By using a forged registration number and switching the plates, Tan violated Section 108(3)(f) of Malaysia’s Road Transport Act 1987. Violators may be fined RM5,000 to RM20,000 (S$1,642 to S$6,570) and even face one to five years of jail time.

However, Tan pleaded leniency, arguing that his unemployment since January put him under pressure. He backed up his plea with medical paperwork, according to an initial report. Although pleading guilty, he was fined S$2,620 for his offences.

In Singapore, those caught switching license plate or displaying forged number plates can be fined S$5,000 or face at most a year of jail time./TISG

https://theindependent.sg.sg/bmw-driver-with-speeding-offences-caught-on-cam-swapping-license-plates/