A lorry driver and cyclist who were involved in an altercation on 22 December last year along Pasir Ris Drive 3 were charged in court on Wednesday (16 January).
Lorry driver Teo Seng Tiong, 57, faces two charges. The first is he is accused of causing hurt to cyclist Eric Cheung Hoyu, 35, by failing to keep an eye while overtaking him.
Teo’s actions resulted in him intruding into the path of a taxi on his right, hence causing him to swerve left and collide into Cheung, court documents stated.
The maximum punishment for this offence is a jail term of six months and a S$2,500 fine.
The driver also faces a second charge of failing to make a police report within 24 hours of the accident, and this offence carries a fine of up to S$1,000 or up to three months’ jail for a first offender.
Meanwhile, Cheung, a British national, also faces two charges. He is accused of committing mischief by knocking off the side mirror of Teo’s lorry with his hand, resulting to a damage of S$15.
The maximum punishment is a year’s jail and a fine.
Additionally, he is also charged with breaching traffic rules by riding his bicycle in the middle of the leftmost lane, instead of being on the far left edge of the road, thus causing obstruction to fast-moving vehicles.
A first offender faces a fine of up to S$1, 000 or up to three months’ jail.
Teo’s lawyer, Mr Chia Boon Teck, told the magistrate’s court that his client is willing to plead guilty in a week’s time, adding that he will be requesting prosecution to consider taking one of the two charges into consideration.
The case for Teo to plead guilty was fixed on 30 January.
On the other hand, Cheung’s lawyer asked for the case to be adjourned so that he can discuss the case with his client and take instructions.
The court also approved Cheung’s request to leave Singapore in order for him to attend a planned family reunion in Hong Kong between 17 to 22 January.
His case will be mentioned again on 30 January.
Both the individuals did not have any interactions in court.
Upon reading this news, many netizens felt that it was solely Cheung’s fault as he was seen as the one who provoked the lorry driver.
Some even initiated to raise fund for the lorry driver so he would be able to pay his potential fines.
