Woman charged after Chinatown crash kills 6-year-old girl, gag order issued

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Woman charged after fatal Chinatown crash killed 6-year-old girl, gag order issued

A 38-year-old woman has been charged in court after a car accident in Chinatown that killed a six-year-old girl and seriously injured her mother.

The woman appeared at the State Courts on Wednesday (8 April), where she was handed two charges of careless driving causing death and grievous hurt.

Source: SGRV FRONT MAN on Facebook

Gag order issued to protect accussed’s son

The case relates to a fatal incident on 6 Feb near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.

The accused allegedly failed to keep a proper lookout while making a right turn out of an open-air car park.

As a result, she is said to have collided with two pedestrians — six-year-old Sheyna Lashira Smaradiani and her 31-year-old mother, Raisha Anindra Pascasiswi.

Sheyna suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead in the hospital shortly after the accident. Her remains were repatriated to Jakarta and buried on 8 Feb.

Her mother was also injured and hospitalised, but has since been discharged and returned to Indonesia.

During proceedings, the court granted a gag order to protect the identity of the accused’s six-year-old son, a potential witness in the case.

The application was made by the woman’s defence lawyer, Navin Thevar.

He argued that the child should be shielded from “the glare of unwanted public scrutiny and embarrassment” brought about by what he witnessed.

“The dangers and risks that I just outlined are particularly acute in the circumstances of the present case because there have been many vitriolic posts made against both my client and against the boy, which are not only untrue, but are of a xenophobic nature,” he said.

According to CNA, the order also extends to the woman herself. This means that she cannot be named, nor can the vehicle’s registration number.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Vishnu Menon did not object to the application, noting that protections under the Children and Young Persons Act must extend to the parent for it to be effective, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

Case adjourned as investigations continue

The accused did not indicate how she would plead.

The prosecution requested that the case be adjourned as investigations are still ongoing, ST said.

A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for 13 May.

If found guilty of causing death by driving without due care and attention, the woman could face up to three years’ jail, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

For causing grievous hurt by careless driving, the penalty is up to two years’ jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

She may also be banned from driving for a period of time.