A jail sentence of eight months and two weeks has been given to an unlicensed driver who drove against traffic for 20 minutes between the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and Choa Chu Kang to escape the police.
This sentence was handed to 46-year-old Ho Whai Keet on 5 Nov.
Source: Google Maps
Before his latest arrest on 15 Feb, Ho had several prior traffic-related incidents.
Back in 2006, he had been fined and given a disqualification order for reckless and dangerous driving.
In 2016, Ho was jailed twice for two cases of driving while under a disqualification order and without insurance.
He was also fined for driving without a license and without insurance in 2021.
On 13 Feb, Ho borrowed a car from his friend, saying that his own vehicle was faulty.
The same car would be spotted travelling slowly on the BKE on 15 Feb by a police officer, who had signalled for the driver to stop.
Instead of stopping, Ho sped off towards Woodlands Road.
This lead to a 20-minute chase, during which the unlicensed driver drove against the flow of traffic to overtake two vehicles along Senja Road before cutting in front of a van on Bukit Panjang Road.
He then squeezed the car between a van and a motorcycle, before entering and exiting the Kranji Expressway.
Ho finally stopped at Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, where another patrol vehicle caught him.
On 18 Sept, Ho Whai Keet pleaded guilty to four charges.
These charges were driving without a license, driving without insurance coverage, dangerous driving, and failing to stop when ordered by a police officer to do so.
The prosecution had initially suggested four to six week’s jail.
District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan, in response, had said such a low sentence could not be justified.
He noted that Ho had more than doubled the speed limit of 50km/h on Bukit Panjang Ring Road, driving up to 115km/h there.
He had also driven across at least five zebra crossings without slowing down.
The judge said that the overall punishment “necessary to achieve the goal of deterrence”.
Also read: Man without licence drives against traffic in Bukit Panjang, gets chased by 3 police cars for 5km
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and MustShareNews.