Lorry driver in viral incident against cyclist gets jail, fine and driving ban, intends to appeal
Lorry driver Teo Seng Tiong and cyclist Eric Cheung Hoyu. (Photos: Rauf Khan, Roads.sg)
SINGAPORE: A lorry driver found guilty of causing hurt to a cyclist by rash driving in an altercation that went viral was on Tuesday (Jan 14) sentenced to seven weeks' jail, fined S$500 and banned from driving for two years.
Teo Seng Tiong, who turned 59 on Tuesday, had been found guilty - following a trial - of swerving suddenly into the cyclist along Pasir Ris Drive 3 towards New Loyang Link at about 11.55am on Dec 22, 2018.
He was also convicted of failing to make a police report within 24 hours of the accident.
The prosecution listed Teo's previous convictions and traffic offences in court, beginning with voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon in 1988, an obscene act in 1993, affray in 1999, insulting a woman's modesty in 2007 and voluntarily causing hurt in 2012.
READ: Lorry driver in viral altercation with cyclist found guilty
READ: Fine for cyclist involved in altercation with lorry driver in Pasir Ris
He had committed offences since 2000 of speeding, careless driving, failing to conform to a red-light signal and failing to give way to an approaching vehicle.
District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said he could not agree with the defence that the Teo should be fined for the driving-related charge, due to the nature of the offence and Teo's culpability.
However, he said the prosecution "had not given sufficient consideration to the deliberate and provocative acts of the cyclist in first blocking the accused then breaking the side mirror, notwithstanding that the accused's reaction was disproportionate".
He gave Teo a sentence that was slightly lower than what the prosecution asked for.
Teo's lawyer, Chia Boon Teck of Chia Wong Chambers, said his client intends to appeal against conviction and sentence.
The judge increased bail by S$1,000 to S$6,000.
The cyclist involved in the case, Eric Cheung Hoyu, was fined S$2,800 in April last year for mischief and for not cycling in an orderly and careful manner as required under traffic regulations.
