Traffic police officer jailed for speeding while on duty, causing death of 58-year-old pedestrian

SINGAPORE: A traffic police officer who caused the death of a 58-year-old pedestrian while riding at a speed of 108kmh was jailed on Monday (Sep 9).

Muhammad Firdaus Yusoff, a 32-year-old Singaporean, was jailed for seven months and banned from obtaining any driving licence for eight years.

He had pleaded guilty last week to one count of riding a motorcycle without reasonable consideration for other road users, by riding at a speed that was more than double the 50kmh limit. He was on his way to an accident at the time of the incident.

In sentencing, District Judge Kok Shu-En told Firdaus that "you of all people ought to have known just how dangerous it is to be travelling at such speeds".

However, she noted that he was not travelling at that "significant" speed for a frivolous reason - he was on his way to attend to an accident which "understandably requires some measure of urgency". 

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) previously told CNA that it initiated investigations against Firdaus, who holds the rank of SGT(3), and suspended him from frontline duties. 

The police said in an update on Monday that officers are expected to exercise the utmost care for public safety when going about their duties.

"With the conclusion of the case in court, SPF will commence internal disciplinary action against him," they added.

THE CASE

The court heard that Firdaus had joined the traffic police in 2020.

On Jun 21, 2023, he began his shift at about 1pm and checked that his assigned motorcycle was in order and had no issues.

At about 5.30pm, he was heading back to the traffic police headquarters in Ubi when he was despatched to attend to an incident where a motorcycle had skidded and an ambulance was required.

Firdaus knew that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had already been activated to the incident at Buangkok Drive and Hougang Avenue 6, but did not know the extent of the injuries or casualties.

The case was not classified as an emergency.

As the first police officer despatched to the incident, Firdaus' role was to establish the nature of the accident and whether any further police resources were required.

He was also required to control traffic and render first aid if he arrived before the paramedics.

However, he also knew that he was not supposed to travel above the speed limit when responding to such incidents.

While on the way to the accident, Firdaus rode on lane 1 of a three-lane road along Hougang Avenue 3, near an intersection with Kim Chuan Road.

The victim, a 58-year-old man, was crossing the road from Firdaus' left to right.

Firdaus observed that the victim had not noticed the blinker lights and siren from the motorcycle and applied hard brakes, while sounding his horn.

He tried to swerve right to avoid the victim, but could not do so in time.

The collision flung the victim onto the grass verge of the centre divider and threw Firdaus off his motorcycle, which overturned and fell on its side.

The victim was taken to hospital but died that same day from multiple injuries sustained in the collision.

The location where the victim crossed the road was not within 50 metres of an overhead bridge, which was further up the road, the court heard.

Therefore, the victim was not jaywalking. However, any pedestrian who is not crossing at a pedestrian crossing is still required to yield the right of way to oncoming vehicles, the prosecution said.

Investigations revealed that Firdaus' bike had reached a recorded speed of 108kmh right before the collision, when its speed dropped drastically.

Firdaus knew that the speed limit along that road was 50kmh. If he had followed this, he would have been able to avoid the collision, the prosecution said.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Daphne Lim and Lim Jia Rong sought five to seven months' jail for Firdaus, along with a driving ban of eight years.

They said Firdaus had exceeded the speed limit by more than 50kmh.

"This was dangerous riding and as a police officer, the accused should have known better," they said.

However, the prosecutors noted that there was "some urgency" to the incident. While it was not an emergency, Firdaus was the first police officer despatched there and would have to render first aid if SCDF had not yet arrived.

Firdaus had also switched on his siren and blinkers to warn others of his presence, the prosecution acknowledged.

Firdaus was accompanied in court by a large group of family members, who took turns to talk to him tearfully before he was taken away.

For riding without due consideration, causing death, he could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.