Man jailed for inching van into woman after she followed him for not stopping at zebra crossing

SINGAPORE: When she saw that a van driver did not stop at a zebra crossing she was standing at, a woman followed him to the car park and confronted him before placing her hands on his windscreen.

The man started his engine and inched his vehicle forward, coming into contact with her three times even though she shouted at him to stop.

Mazlan Ujod, 46, was sentenced to a month's jail and banned from driving for a year on Wednesday (Oct 27). He pleaded guilty to one charge of causing hurt by a rash act endangering personal safety.

The court heard that the victim was about to cross a zebra crossing in Jurong West at 9.50pm on Apr 6, 2019, when she saw the accused driving his van.

As he was approaching the crossing, she did not cross, but noted that he did not stop at the zebra crossing. Instead, he drove into a car park near 492 Jurong West Street 41.

The victim followed the vehicle as she wanted to confront the driver and check if he was drunk. When confronted, Mazlan said he had not seen her as it was dark and that he was not intoxicated. 

The woman told him to wait for the police to arrive, but Mazlan said he was in a rush and boarded his van.

As the woman did not want Mazlan to leave, she stood in front of his van and placed both hands on the windscreen, the prosecutor said.

Mazlan started his engine and inched it forward, with his van coming into contact with the woman's thigh.

The victim moved back, and Mazlan inched his van forward once more and made contact with her again. The victim shouted at Mazlan, asking him to stop hitting her with his van. 

Eventually, after hitting the victim again with his vehicle, Mazlan managed to drive away. The police arrived only after Mazlan had left. 

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment. As the pain in her leg did not subside, she returned a few days later and was warded for several days. She was diagnosed with a knee contusion and given hospitalisation leave.

Mazlan's lawyer asked for leniency, saying her client had no previous convictions. He is the sole breadwinner of his family and a lengthy imprisonment would cause him to lose his job, she said.

The prosecutor said Mazlan was trying to shift the blame to the victim, and that this shows a lack of remorse. However, she did not seek a compensation order as she noted there was a "possibility of a civil suit".

For causing hurt by a rash act endangering personal safety, Mazlan could have been jailed up to a year and fined up to S$5,000.