Fine, ban for motorcyclist who crashed into police car, killing his girlfriend
SINGAPORE — In a bid to overtake a lorry in front of him, motorcyclist Khor Kok Sem decided to cut across the chevron markings on the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).
However, he did not notice a stationary police car there with its hazard lights on. He collided into its rear and was flung off the motorbike along with his girlfriend, Lim Pei San, who was riding pillion.
Lim died in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital later that day, while the two police officers in the car suffered lower back strain.
Khor, a 23-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced on Monday (Nov 4) to a fine of S$7,000 and banned from driving all classes of vehicles here for four-and-a-half years. He had pleaded guilty to causing Lim’s death by a negligent act.
Another charge of causing hurt to the police officers by a rash act was taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that Khor and Lim, who was also a Malaysian, lived in Johor Baru and worked in Bukit Batok here. They rode his motorcycle into Singapore every day to work.
On the morning of Jan 3 this year, he had entered through Woodlands Checkpoint with Lim as his pillion rider and rode along Woodlands Centre Road, heading towards the BKE.
As he was riding along the right lane of a two-lane slip road, which was merging into a one-lane road to the BKE, he decided to overtake a lorry in front of him.
Traffic was heavy at the time, while the road surface was dry and visibility was good.
Khor cut across the chevron markings along the BKE and ended up slamming into the back of a stationary police car there, which had two officers in it.
Both Khor and Lim were flung off the motorcycle and they landed on the road.
They were taken to the hospital, where Lim was pronounced dead at about 3.15pm.
In mitigation, Khor’s lawyer R Magendran sought a lower fine of S$6,000 and a one-year driving ban, saying that a longer disqualification period would affect his client’s livelihood.
“He’s also helping the deceased’s family and providing money to them on a monthly basis — sometimes 850 ringgit (S$265), sometimes 1,500 ringgit,” the lawyer added.
For causing death by a negligent act, Khor could have been jailed up to two years, or fined, or both.
