pleaded guilty to three charges of dangerous driving causing death<\/span><\/a>, dangerous driving causing grievous hurt and dangerous driving causing hurt.<\/p>\nA 17-year-old junior college student and a woman died, while eight others were injured in the six-vehicle collision.<\/p>\n
Syafie will be sentenced on Oct 5.<\/p>\n
During Syafie\u2019s court hearing on Sept 7, Deputy Public Prosecutor Niranjan Ranjakunalan also urged the court to impose a lifetime driving disqualification.<\/p>\n
Noting that the harm caused was undeniably severe, the prosecutor said: \u201cThis is not a case where merely careless driving or a spur-of-the-moment mistake resulted in outsized harm.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, the accused exhibited highly dangerous driving behaviour over a prolonged period.\u201d<\/p>\n
The DPP cited a victim impact statement from the student\u2019s father, who was also injured in the accident, showing that the man blamed himself for what happened every day.<\/p>\n
The father\u2019s statement read: \u201cThe loss of my daughter affected the whole family… Our life now will never be the same. I do not know what will be there for us in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defence lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya sought a sentence of between seven years and six months\u2019, and eight years\u2019 jail for his client. He agreed on a lifetime driving ban.<\/p>\n
Noting that Syafie\u2019s actions were due to a lapse in judgment, Kalaithasan said: \u201cThis is a scar that will remain with him for the rest of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defence lawyer added that the sentence the prosecution was seeking would be crushing on Syafie.<\/p>\n
Kalaithasan said Syafie previously served the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore as a Quranic teacher, but was suspended from teaching in 2024 due to this court case.<\/p>\n
A letter that Syafie wrote to the victims\u2019 families was attached in the mitigation plea handed to the court.<\/p>\n
Kalaithasan said: \u201cIn the letter, he expressed his profound regret and remorse for his actions and the pain and suffering he had caused. He conveyed his heartfelt apologies to the victims and their families and acknowledged the gravity of what had occurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis decision to personally put his remorse into writing reflects his genuine contrition and deep regret for his conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
Principal District Judge Toh Han Li said he needed time to consider the submissions from both sides and adjourned sentencing.<\/p>\n
Before the hearing on Sept 7, Syafie arrived at the State Courts alone. He kept his head down and did not speak to the media.<\/p>\n
The crash<\/h2>\n
On April 22, 2024, Syafie had finished working the night shift as an operations manager at a global manufacturing firm and later dropped off a GrabHitch passenger in Bedok at around 6.15am.<\/p>\n
He then drove dangerously by abruptly overtaking a car along Bedok Reservoir Road.<\/p>\n
His car collided with another car, causing it to veer left and almost hit a motorcyclist.<\/p>\n
Syafie drove off towards the junction at between 129kmh and 134kmh. The speed limit there was 50kmh.<\/p>\n
He ran the red light, which had been red for at least 26 seconds, and rammed into three vehicles, causing a chain collision.<\/p>\n