Maserati driver who dragged cop for 100m jailed 55 months
He also gets lifetime driving ban for offences that judge says 'warranted a retributive and deterrent sentence'
A Maserati driver whose car dragged a police officer for more than 100m along Bedok Reservoir Road in 2017 was sentenced yesterday to four years and seven months' jail with a lifetime driving ban.
District Judge Ng Peng Hong, who said that Lee Cheng Yan's offences "warranted a retributive and deterrent sentence", also ordered him to pay a fine of $3,700.
In December last year after a five-day trial, the judge found Lee, now 36, guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to the policeman, Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar Abd Kahar, 26.
Judge Ng also convicted Lee of nine other charges, including failing to stop after the accident and obstruction of justice. Lee also has 59 pending charges related to matters including unlawful gambling activities. They will be dealt with at a later date.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy had urged Judge Ng to sentence Lee to four years and nine months' jail with a lifetime driving ban.
He said Staff Sgt Khairulanwar suffered injuries that had a lasting impact, such as lower back pain when carrying heavy items.
Defence lawyer S. Balamurugan pleaded for a sentence of not more than two years' jail, with a "high fine" and an "appropriate but not excessive" period of driving disqualification.
He said: "The accused also suffers from insomnia and, as a result, relies heavily on alcohol and sleeping pills to sleep even though (they) may be harmful to his health."
DISQUALIFIED
During the trial, the court heard that Lee drove the white Maserati, which he owned, on Nov 17, 2017, despite being disqualified owing to earlier traffic offences.
Staff Sgt Khairulanwar stopped the Maserati at Bedok Reservoir Road at about 9.20pm because Lee was not using his seat belt.
The policeman 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 Lee "fled the scene by suddenly reversing the Maserati, before accelerating quickly forward while the victim was standing next to the driver-seat door".
Lee drove at between 79kmh and 84kmh, dragging Staff Sgt Khairulanwar for more than 100m before he fell onto the road. The Maserati then sped off, the court heard.
DPP Koh said that after the accident, Lee abandoned the Maserati at Willow Avenue near Aljunied Road.
Lee later phoned a friend, marketing executive Jeff Chan, to tell him he was involved in an "incident" with the Traffic Police before going to Mr Chan's flat.
The police turned up at Mr Chan's home at around 2am on Nov 18. They arrested Lee, who was charged in court later.
Lee testified during the trial that he was not driving 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.
DPP Senthilkumaran then questioned the existence of Kelvin and told Lee: "You are obviously lying."
Lee insisted he was telling the truth.
Yesterday, Mr Balamurugan told the court Lee intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence.
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