Teen sentenced to 2 years & 3 months’ jail, caning over motorcycle chase that killed LTA officer

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SINGAPORE: A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to two years and three months in jail, along with six strokes of the cane, after he was involved in a dangerous motorcycle chase that led to the death of a Land Transport Authority (LTA) officer.

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The youth, who was remanded and appeared via video-link at the hearing, was also disqualified from holding or obtaining any type of driving licence for five years upon his release.

As reported by state media The Straits Times, the sentencing was handed down on 23 January 2025 by Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh, who stated that probation, often considered for youth offenders, was not a viable option due to the gravity of the offences committed.

The teen had admitted to six charges, including riding a motorcycle dangerously and consuming drugs. Seven other charges were taken into account during sentencing.

Teen evaded LTA officer on Seletar Expressway, causing fatal crash after swerving in front of tanker

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The fatal incident occurred on 4 June 2024, when the teenager, aged 17 at the time, evaded LTA enforcement officer Zdulfika Ahakasah, 26, while riding a motorcycle on the Seletar Expressway.

Officer Zdulfika had signalled for the teen to pull over, but instead, the youth accelerated and swerved dangerously in front of an oil tanker, cutting across the chevron marking of an expressway divider.

During the chase, the LTA officer lost control of his motorcycle, crashing into a road divider.

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He was flung from his bike and succumbed to his injuries in hospital shortly after. Despite knowing that Zdulfika had crashed, the teen continued to flee the scene, never looking back.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Thaddeus Tan stressed that the teen, who was aware he was wanted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for a previous drug offence, had no valid licence for the motorcycle he was riding.

The bike, which belonged to his cousin, had been used without permission.

Footage from a body-worn camera worn by Officer Zdulfika was presented in court, showing the moments leading to the fatal crash.

In the video, the LTA officer can be seen instructing the teen to stop, only for the youth to speed off shortly thereafter.

DPP: Teen showed no remorse in court, claiming he was not to blame for LTA officer’s death

DPP Tan noted that the teen’s actions demonstrated a profound lack of remorse, citing the youth’s response in court after being charged on 6 June 2024.

At the time, the teen told the court: “I gambled my life as much as he gambled his. The death – I may be one of the contributing factors for the death, but I am not to be blamed.”

In mitigation, defence lawyer Foo Ho Chew expressed that the teen wanted to apologise for his earlier statement and acknowledged its insensitivity.

“He was only 18 then and was severely lacking in maturity. He did not have the state of mind to sense how wrong he was,” Foo said, noting that the teenager now recognised the gravity of his actions.

The prosecution also revealed that the teen had a history of persistent criminal behaviour, having committed 13 offences over a 10-month period.

Among these offences was an incident in which he provided his Singpass credentials to an unknown individual on Telegram.

The person promised him a loan of S$300, but instead used the information to create a bank account in the teen’s name. This account was later used to facilitate the transfer of at least S$299,867 in scam proceeds, defrauding a 70-year-old retiree.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of between two years, three and a half months, and five and a half months’ imprisonment, along with six strokes of the cane and a five-year driving disqualification.

In his plea for leniency, Foo urged the court to consider the teen’s potential for rehabilitation, citing the support he received from his mother and sister.

Nonetheless, Judge Soh determined that the severity of the teen’s crimes required a significant custodial sentence.



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