District Judge F G Remedios also disqualified Tham Fook Seng from driving all motor vehicles for five years.

In the dock, Tham stood with his head down with his eyebrows twitching, while he waited for his sentence to be meted.

He had pleaded guilty to committing a negligent act and was not represented by a lawyer.

He had been working as a driver for several employment agencies and ferried maids.

According to court papers, Tham stopped his van and checked his right and left when he reached the stop line at the T-junction of Kim Tian Road and Tiong Bahru Road on June 26.

He noticed an elderly cyclist riding towards him from his right.

But as the cyclist was about four van lengths away, he focused his attention on the traffic on his left instead.

He had planned to make a right turn into Tiong Bahru Road in the direction of Kim Seng Road.

However, his van which was still engaged in second gear then began rolling forward past the stop line.

What he did not know was that the cyclist, 79-year-old Mr Tan Kim Seng, had already reached the front of his van when he stepped on the accelerator to take off, court papers said.

The collision left Mr Tan with head injuries.

He was taken to Singapore General Hospital where he died later that day.

Tham could have been jailed up to two years' jail and fined.