Driver who severed pedestrian’s body to serve original 11-year jail term as court dismisses appeals

A third charge for dangerous driving involving his children was considered in sentencing.

The man had been driving home from a child’s birthday party on Apr 23, 2023 after drinking wine, with his two children in the back.

He failed to notice the 64-year-old Singaporean retiree crossing Dunearn Road towards Bukit Timah Canal and struck him while travelling at between 111kmh and 122kmh on a road with a speed limit of 70kmh.

The force of the crash severed the victim’s body into three parts, with his torso and head crashing through the windscreen and landing on the offender’s lap.

The impact shattered the windscreen of the man’s silver BMW M3 Coupe and injured his two children.

Prosecutors had pushed to increase his jail term to 12 years and nine months, while the man’s lawyers sought a sentence of six years and four months to eight years.

JUDGE’S REASONS

Justice Christopher Tan said there was merit to both appeals, but they were ultimately not enough to allow him to grant the appeal on either side.

On the defence’s appeal, he said some of the increases applied to the sentence could have been moderated, but this was not reason enough to allow the appeal.

He agreed with the prosecution that the sentencing “discount” for the man’s guilty plea should have been 20 per cent and not the 30 per cent that was awarded.

Overall, he said, the lower court judge’s sentencing decision was “by and large solidly reasoned”.

The prosecution had earlier argued that the 30 per cent discount given by the lower court judge, Principal District Judge Toh Han Li, had been given in error. This was because the offender had indicated he would plead guilty only within Stage 2 of the guidelines and not Stage 1.

In Singapore, accused persons may receive a reduction of up to 30 per cent in their jail sentence if they plead guilty. The guidelines set out four stages of criminal proceedings, with the maximum sentencing reduction for a guilty plea decreasing at each stage.