Driver who caused death of pillion rider not NUS student; police looking into his claim

SINGAPORE: The police are looking into the claim by a driver who caused a pillion rider's death that he was a student of the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Singaporean Jarrett Tee Lee Kiat, 30, had been identified as an NUS student at the time of the incident, in reports on court proceedings based on official court documents.

However, after Tee's sentencing, NUS posted a statement on Facebook saying that Tee "has no affiliation with this university".

"There are no records that this individual has ever been or is currently a student of NUS," the university said on Tuesday.

In response to CNA's queries, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) said on Wednesday that the police are looking into Tee's claim that he was a student of NUS.

The AGC said Tee had asserted in his statement to the police on Mar 8, 2024, that he was a full-time NUS student. 

"This information was subsequently reflected in the statement of facts that was agreed to by the prosecution and defence and submitted to the court when Tee pleaded guilty on Jun 27, 2025," the AGC spokesperson said.

"Tee’s status as a student was not material to charges that he had faced and was not a factor taken into consideration for sentencing."

Tee was sentenced to jail for five years and eight months on Jun 27 for dangerous driving causing the death of Ms Leann Lim Jia Le, 18, in a racing game that went awry.

He had been driving along the East Coast Parkway expressway at speeds of up to 160kmh when he sped up and overtook the motorcycle Ms Lim was riding pillion on.

He then began to play "blocking and braking games" with the motorcycle. After asking his passengers, "Do you want to see motorcycle fly?", Tee side-swiped the motorcycle, flinging its rider and pillion five to eight metres away.

Ms Lim died of multiple injuries from the collision, and Tee said "she deserved it as she come and push my limit", according to court papers.