Man gets jail for causing girlfriend’s death, several other offences

SINGAPORE — A 26-year-old man was today (Sept 28) sentenced to two years and nine months’ jail for a series of offences he committed in 2013, including causing the death of his girlfriend when he lost control of his car and crashed into a tree.

The crash also left Eric Leong Teck Wai wheelchair-bound. He was speeding along Hillview Avenue at about midnight on Oct 22, 2013 when he lost control of his car, causing it to swerve, mount the kerb and collide with a tree.

Leong’s girlfriend, 23-year-old Cheryl Ng Hui Ling, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The couple’s friends who had been sitting in the backseat escaped with fractures, despite one of the men being flung out of the car through the broken windscreen.

In court today, it was revealed that Leong had been driving under the influence of drugs, including phenazepam, a sedative-hypnotic drug not available in Singapore.

Some of the drug’s side effects include impaired balance, slurred speech, confusion, memory loss, and auditory and visual hallucinations.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Houston Johannus told the court that Leong had been driving “recklessly, dangerously” at 20km/h over the speed limit, as if he was part of “a chariot racing competition”. The fact that Leong was driving under the influence of drugs is “a highly aggravating factor”.

Pointing to Leong’s past convictions for driving without a licence and third-party insurance, DPP Johannus said it was clear that Leong had not learnt his lesson.

In addressing Leong’s other charges, DPP Johannus again noted that the man had related past convictions.

Leong was also facing one count of theft in dwelling, and another of procuring a teenage student to commit harassment on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender.

In the theft case, the court heard that Leong and his 18-year-old accomplice had stolen about S$6,750 worth of birds, cages, a laptop and cash from a shop at Tanjong Katong Road in October 2013.

In a separate incident, Leong was accused of procuring a 15-year-old student to commit harassment on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender. Leong would drive the teenager to debtors’ units and brief him on what to do — splash paint on the debtors’ front doors.

Leong’s lawyer K Jayakumar Naidu said his client has mild mental retardation and experiences “sufficient difficulties with planning and judgement”. Leong is also “susceptible to suggestion”, Mr Jayakumar said.

The court heard that the theft in dwelling and unlicensed moneylending offences resulted from the suggestions of Leong’s co-accused in both instances.

For example, the 15-year-old student had expressed interest in working with the moneylender as he wanted to earn extra cash.

As for the road accident, Mr Jayakumar told the court that Leong had only collected the second-hand car that afternoon, and “his knowledge of handling the vehicle (was) slim”.

This is not a case where the accused is left uninjured, Mr Jayakumar said, gesturing to Leong in his wheelchair. “I think he has learned his lesson,” the lawyer added. CHANNEL NEWSASIA