Maserati driver found guilty of dragging cop over 100m
He is also convicted of offences including failing to stop after accident
A Maserati driver whose car dragged a police officer for more than 100m along Bedok Reservoir Road in 2017 was convicted yesterday of several offences, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt to the officer.
After a five-day trial, District Judge Ng Peng Hong also found the driver, Lee Cheng Yan, guilty of nine other charges, including failing to stop after the accident and obstruction of justice.
The 35-year-old Singaporean is also facing 59 other charges related to matters such as online gambling and illegal moneylending. These will be dealt with at a later date.
During the trial, the court heard that Lee, who owned the Maserati, drove the car on Nov 17, 2017, despite being disqualified due to earlier traffic offences.
Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar Abd Kahar, 26, had stopped Lee's white Maserati in Bedok Reservoir Road at about 9.20pm as he was not using his seat belt.
The police officer parked his motorcycle in front of the Maserati before dismounting. He then approached the car to speak to Lee who wound down his window.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh had earlier said: "Instead of complying, the accused fled the scene by suddenly reversing the Maserati before accelerating quickly forward while the victim was standing next to the driver-seat door."
He added that Staff Sgt Khairulanwar's uniform got caught in the driver's side door of the Maserati.
The car, which was moving at between 79kmh and 84kmh, dragged the police officer for more than 100m before he fell onto the road. The Maserati then sped off, the court heard.
Staff Sgt Khairulanwar was taken to hospital to be treated for pain over his right knee, neck and lower back. He was later given more than 20 days of medical leave.
Lee testified during the trial that he was not the driver of the Maserati when the accident took place. He said that about two hours before the accident, he had given the car keys to a man known only as "Kelvin", whom he had known for about five months.
The court heard that neither Kelvin's surname nor address was given by Lee to the investigation officer handling the case.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy then questioned the existence of Kelvin and told Lee: "You are obviously lying."
Lee said he was telling the truth. He will be sentenced next month.
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