Unlicensed teen motorcyclist and his girlfriend, riding pillion, killed in crash, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Unlicensed teen motorcyclist and his girlfriend, riding pillion, killed in crash

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A teenager without a licence got on a motorcycle with his girlfriend riding pillion but lost control of it and crashed. Both of them died.

The state coroner said that Mr Rafie Sherman Abdullah Tan, 19, had got hold of a motorcycle that was rented by a third party and rode it along Jurong West Central 1 with Nor Ayuni Abdullah, 17.

He is believed to have lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a right bend at around 3.40pm on July 16 last year. The teenagers were flung off when the bike mounted a kerb and hit two trees on a grass verge.

Both suffered multiple injuries and were taken to hospital. Ayuni died about two hours later while Mr Tan succumbed to his injuries three days later.

Delivering his findings on Friday (Jan 7), State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said that both teenagers died due to a road traffic misadventure.

He added: "I found that it was likely that (Mr Tan) was inexperienced in riding a motorcycle and this may have contributed to the loss of control. This tragic case serves as a timely reminder of the importance of obtaining the requisite driving licence before operating vehicles on the road."

The state coroner said that while the traffic police were unable to estimate the exact speed of the motorcycle, there was no evidence to suggest that Mr Tan was speeding.

There were also no environmental factors such as an oil patch, sand or debris that might have caused the teenager to lose control of the motorcycle.

State Coroner Nakhoda said: "From (a closed-circuit television footage)... there was no encroachment by other vehicles travelling along that stretch of road as there were no vehicles seen travelling ahead or beside the motorcycle prior to the accident."

The identity of the person who had rented the motorcycle was not disclosed.

In December 2018, Mr Tan was sentenced to reformative training for offences including theft.

This meant he was detained in a centre and had to follow a strict regimen that included foot drills and counselling.

He was later placed on a release-on-supervision programme on Dec 16, 2020 which was due to expire in December this year .

As part of the programme, he was allowed to leave home two hours before he started work. He was also given a grace period of two hours to arrive home after work.

According to Ayuni's mother, both Mr Tan and her daughter were working at a warehouse in Jalan Buroh near Jurong Port Road.

The two were having a break at work at the time when they decided to get on the bike to buy some food, the mother said.

The couple had been living at the woman's home since April last year.

CORONER'S INQUESTCOURT & CRIME