Man, 21, gets probation for illegal racing along Seletar Link; undertakes not to drive for 1 year
Photo: The Straits Times
Elena Chong
Wednesday, Oct 12, 2016
SINGAPORE -A young man who took part in a racing competition with another motorist without a police permit was given a chance on Tuesday (Oct 11) when he was given 12 months' supervised probation.
Full-time national serviceman Jandej Goh was 19 when he raced illegally with Malaysian Sugath Lum Wai Yuen, 30, on July 26, 2015. Lum's case will be mentioned on Oct 12.
Under the probation order, Goh, who turned 21 recently, has to remain indoors from 11pm to 6am. He undertakes not to drive for 12 months, and has to perform 180 hours of community service. His parents signed a $5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour.
He pleaded guilty to the charge of racing on Aug 31. Another charge of speeding at 179kmh was considered during his sentencing.
The court heard that at 1.23am on July 26, 2015, Goh was driving his mother's car - a black Mercedes C200 saloon - along Seletar Link towards Seletar North Link. He accelerated from a stationary position on the starting point along the road and to a high speed. His in-car camera recorded his speed to be as high as 179kmh at certain junctions, which exceeded the speed limit of 50kmh.
At 1.25am, his car was flagged down by some people standing by the side of the road.
An unknown passer-by asked if he wanted to "race with [their] S4''. After a brief conversation, he agreed to a "friendly match''.
Both Goh's car and the white car driven by Lum proceeded to the starting line somewhere along Seletar Link.
As agreed, Goh sounded his horn three times to signal the start of the race, and both cars raced off. They accelerated to high speeds at about 175kmh.
Goh was seen changing lanes abruptly from the leftmost to the rightmost lane. They then stopped at a red traffic light junction. They were speaking to one another when two traffic policemen stopped them.
Goh's lawyer Chia Kok Seng said his client was very remorseful and deeply regretted his impulsive action. He said Goh promises and assures the court that he would never again speed much less participate in a car race.
He said his client comes from a good family. He had taken his friends to Seletar to show them where car enthusiasts gather. They came across people racing with each other.
When almost all the racers had left, Goh, on impulse, wanted to see what his modified saloon car could do, and was approached by Lum's group, who invited him to race.
He declined initially, saying his car was no match for Lum's Audi S4. But he eventually agreed to take part in the friendly race - no wager was involved.
The maximum penalty for the offence is six months' jail and a $2,000 fine.
