A woman linked to a fatal Tanjong Pagar crash in Chinese New Year 2021 has pled guilty to dangerous driving.
26-year-old Phoo Yi Lin reportedly drove the BMW involved in the incident before its owner Jonathan Long Junwei took over the wheel.
What followed was a fiery crash that shocked Singaporeans, as Mr Long and four other men perished.
Source: Smi Smi on Facebook
Phoo was fined S$5,000 and disqualified from driving for three years.
In a court hearing on Monday (3 Apr), Phoo admitted to the charge of dangerous driving, reported The Straits Times (ST).
At about 5.35am on 13 Feb 2021, she drove a white BMW M4 on Tanjong Pagar Road, the court heard.
She clocked average speeds of between 109km/hour (kmh) and 130kmh, according to CCTV footage.
A nearby taxi’s in-car camera footage showed the BMW going faster, at an average speed of between 125kmh and 181kmh in the direction towards Keppel Road.
The speed limit on Tanjong Pagar Road, which at its narrowest is a two-lane bi-directional thoroughfare lined with shophouses, is 50kmh.
Worse still, Phoo had drunk alcohol before driving the car, the judge noted.
Her blood-alcohol content that morning wasn’t revealed in court.
Phoo had possibly consumed the alcohol during a CNY gathering in Ang Mo Kio hours before the incident, attended by Mr Long and his friends.
The group later continued their merrymaking at Hong Jja Jang restaurant on Tanjong Pagar Road, which is now permanently closed, according to Google Maps.
Source: Google Maps
Sometime during the night, Mr Long showed his new BMW to his friends and the idea to test drive it came about.
Phoo said that he was “very persuasive” about wanting to compete within the group to see who could drive it faster.
Mr Eugene Yap Zheng Min, 29, drove first, recording speeds of between 75kmh and 88kmh.
At the time, he had 119mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood — exceeding the legal limit of 80mg/100ml.
Mr Park Se Jin, who ran the restaurant, was next, racking up speeds of up to 59kmh.
Phoo was the third driver. She handed the car over to Mr Long after managing to drive faster than the two men before her.
Mr Long, who took Mr Yap and three other friends along for the ride, went up to 182kmh before crashing.
The police also shared that he had a blood-alcohol reading of 86mg/100ml at the time.
Source: Song Seng Wun on Facebook
Ms Raybe Oh, his fiancee, jumped into the wreckage to try to save him and was seriously injured.
The prosecutor requested for the maximum fine of S$5,000 to be meted out to Phoo.
This is considering that a cyclist and at least two pedestrians were present when she sped the car down the road.
Those convicted of dangerous driving face up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
In defence, her lawyer said Phoo was “very sorry” for her actions.
She lives in Malaysia and had come down to Singapore to assist with investigations, he said.
On 16 Mar, she requested permission to leave Singapore, but her application was rejected as she was considered a flight risk.
Besides her fine, she’s also prohibited from driving in Singapore for three years.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Smi Smi on Facebook.
The police have determined the suspect’s age to be between 30 and 50 years.
Three other pedestrians stopped to yield to the car as it approached the roundabout.
He was also charged with driving without a valid licence, among other traffic offences.
She offered RM50 the first time, then S$50.
"This incident could have happened anywhere," said a local politician.
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