Lorry driver fined S$500, jailed 7 weeks & banned from driving for 2 years over altercation with cyclist at Pasir Ris

He intends to appeal.

Zhangxin Zheng | January 14, 2020, 11:31 PM

The lorry driver involved in a high profile altercation with a cyclist has been sentenced to seven weeks' jail on Jan. 14, 2020.

The 59-year-old Teo Seng Tiong was also banned from driving for two years and received a fine of S$500 for failing to file a police report within 24 hours of the accident, according to CNA.

His sentencing puts an end to a case that sparked widespread debate about cyclists safety and right of way on Singapore's roads.

Recap

The road incident happened in late-December 2018.

Teo was driving his lorry along Pasir Ris Drive 3 towards New Loyang Link, when he was involved in a road incident with 35-year-old British national Eric Cheung Hoyu.

Video footage that was widely circulated online, showed Cheung cycling in front of the lorry and was allegedly obstructing the vehicle's path.

Upon moving to the left side of the road, Cheung struck the lorry’s side mirror, causing it to fall off.

The lorry was then seen swerving towards the cyclist, causing Cheung to fall off his bicycle and onto the grass verge.

In April 2019, Cheung was fined S$2,800 after pleading guilty to two charges of committing mischief and not cycling in an orderly and careful manner with due regard to the safety of others.

Teo was subsequently found guilty for causing hurt to Cheung by rash driving on Dec. 17, 2019.

Lorry driver receives jail, fine and driving ban

On Jan. 14, the prosecution asked for a heavier sentencing of 10 weeks' jail, three-year driving ban and a fine of S$500.

Teo's defence lawyer, Chia Boon Teck, sought lighter sentencing for Teo considering that Cheung was provocative and only received a fine, according to Today.

Chia said: “Given that the cyclist who caused the entire incident was sentenced only to a fine of S$2,800 for his leading role in the traffic incident, the above sentencing position is fair and just.”

However, the district judge Chay Yuen Fatt said that he could not agree with the defence for a fine on a driving-related charge.

CNA also reported that the judge found that the prosecution "had not given sufficient consideration to the deliberate and provocative acts of the cyclist in first blocking the accused then breaking the side mirror, notwithstanding that the accused's reaction was disproportionate".

In the end, Teo was given a sentence that was lower than what the prosecution asked for.

The court also heard past offences that Teo had committed between 1999 and 2015, which included several traffic offences as well as insulting a woman's modesty in 2007 and voluntarily causing hurt in 2012.

Chia said that Teo intends to file an appeal and he was out on a S$6,000 bail, which was an increase from the initial S$1,000.

Top photo via Teo Seng Tiong, Roads.sg Facebook