Seven years’ imprisonment for serial conman who faked accident
A man in handcuffs. Photo: Reuters
SINGAPORE — A serial conman who tried to cheat compensation from drivers by throwing himself against their vehicles was on Thursday (Aug 25) sentenced to seven years’ preventive detention — a form of punishment for repeat offenders that does not allow a remission in the jail term for good behaviour.
Tan Lian Seng, 60, had committed the latest offence on the very day he was released from prison last year for the same crime.
The court was told that Tan had served time for an attempted accident scam in 2014. Days after being released from prison, he committed a similar offence.
He was thrown behind bars again in 2015, and when he was released in May that year, he committed the same offence again.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nathaniel Khng told the court that Tan has a colourful history of criminality, and recently become a “serial accident scam artist”.
He added: “Given his atrocious criminal history and his recent pattern of offending in particular, it is clear that the accused has no prospect of rehabilitation, that he is a habitual offender, and has the propensity for further criminal activity, and that he is a menace to the public and a danger to himself.”
In the current case, Tan stood in the bus lane near a bus stop at Tampines Avenue 5. As an SBS Transit bus switched lanes to avoid him, CCTV footage showed Tan leaning against the bus and hitting it with his right hand.
The driver, Mr Kiong Chee Ong, pulled over and alighted to ask if there was “anything wrong” with Tan.
In response, Tan said: “You pay me some money, then let the matter rest. Don’t report to the police.”
Mr Kiong replied that he had already reported the incident to his company. Tan was visibly unhappy and challenged him to go to court.
When the ambulance came, Tan initially refused to be sent to hospital but later relented. At Changi General Hospital, he told the doctor that a bus had run over his right foot and it was swollen and painful.
Tan was diagnosed with a stress fracture. But the doctor also noted that Tan was able to walk into the consultation room and had a “steady gait”.
During the trial, an Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist gave evidence that Tan had an antisocial personality disorder with a background of polysubstance abuse.
The disorder manifested itself in reckless behaviour, and manipulative and demanding personality traits.
In defence, Tan admitted to standing on the road for 10 to 15 minutes, and denied seeing the bus or hearing the horn.
Initially, he said that he hit the bus out of anxiety and confusion, but later changed his story and said that he did not know why he had done so.
Another charge of rashly throwing himself against a car on the same afternoon at the Causeway Point car park was taken into consideration during sentencing.
