7 men drove up to 173kmh on PIE in convoy of 30 cars
Seven men who were part of a convoy of more than 30 cars were on Tuesday slapped with fines and disqualified from driving for 15 to 18 months.
The men were travelling on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) at average speeds of between 137kmh and 173kmh, above the speed limit of 90kmh.
They are Kenneth Fu Yongli, 32, Louis Lee Ren Jun, 26, Oh Jia Fu, 27, Lincoln Peh Wei Qiang, 26, Lim Yu Shun, 28, Brian Anthony Yap, 25, and Ian Khoo Ye Siang, 27.
The seven men pleaded guilty to one count each of driving a motor vehicle recklessly, or at a speed or in a manner which is dangerous to the public.
Sean Choong Zhi Hong, 38, and Daryl Ang Qi Hao, 27, who were also part of the speeding convoy, are expected to plead guilty on Wednesday.
In December 2022, another man who was also speeding that day, Jesmond Tan Yong How, 29, was sentenced to 10 days’ jail and disqualified from driving for two years.
Court documents did not state if the drivers in the other cars that were part of the convoy have been dealt with.
Fu was convicted of speeding in 2014 and Lee was convicted for the same offence in 2019.
As they are repeat offenders, Fu and Lee were each fined $5,000 and disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 18 months.
The other five men were each fined $3,000 and disqualified from driving for 15 months.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Etsuko Lim said some time before Feb 27, 2022, the men and several others exchanged messages via Telegram and WhatsApp about a “leisure drive”. They also discussed which routes to take and when to meet.
On Feb 27, 2022, at about 2am, more than 30 people met in the vicinity of Turf Club Road.
Footage from CCTVs (closed-circuit television) captured a convoy of more than 30 cars speeding on the PIE.
DPP Lim said the seven men drove at speeds that were dangerous to the public. Two videos of the cars speeding along the expressway were posted on Facebook and gained significant traction, she added.
In her submissions, DPP Lim said the dangerous speeding was deliberate and said this was in fact a joyride.
“They were speeding in a convoy of more than 30 cars... and this meant that there were increased chances of collision with one another or with other road users,” said the DPP.
She said the accused individuals could have caused serious injury and damage to property and that the meet-up could have potentially turned into an illegal racing event.
Those convicted of dangerous driving can be fined up to $5,000 and jailed for up to a year. For subsequent convictions, the maximum penalty is doubled.
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