SAF captain who ordered overtake of Bionix vehicle in fatal accident fails in appeal, will serve jail term
The SAF will initiate further actions against Captain Ong Lin Jie, which may include discharging him from service.
Ong Lin Jie leaving the State Courts on Nov 22, 2021. (Photo: TODAY/Ooi Boon Keong)
SINGAPORE: A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) captain whose rash act caused a full-time national serviceman (NSF) to be crushed to death by a Bionix vehicle failed in his appeal to the High Court on Tuesday (May 9).
Ong Lin Jie, 32, will begin his five-month jail term in two weeks.
He had claimed trial to the charge but was convicted in November 2021 of one count of a rash act not amounting to culpable homicide.
This was by ordering the victim, 22-year-old Corporal First Class (CFC) Liu Kai, to overtake a Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicle with his Land Rover during a training exercise in 2018.
As a result, the safe distance of 30m between the two vehicles was not kept and the Bionix reversed into the Land Rover, crushing CFC Liu to death.
Ong was a platoon trainer in the training exercise near Sungei Gedong Camp. He was seated beside CFC Liu, giving him directions.
When Ong ordered CFC Liu to overtake a Bionix vehicle that was ahead of them, without first establishing communications with the Bionix, he caused the Land Rover to be placed in dangerous proximity to the heavier vehicle.
The Bionix reversed into the driver's side of the Land Rover, killing CFC Liu in his seat.
Justice See Kee Oon on Tuesday found that both factual and legal causation were established and dismissed Ong's appeals against conviction and sentence.
However, he dismissed the prosecution's appeal for a higher sentence.
The judge allowed Ong to begin serving his jail term in two weeks.
Following the outcome of the hearing, the Ministry of Defence said the SAF will now initiate further actions against Ong, which may include discharging him from service.
Ong had been suspended from service pending the outcome of the court proceedings.
