SINGAPORE - When delivery driver Kasmani Ahmat got home from work one night, he told his wife that he might have hit a pedestrian.
As it turned out, he had. Two cameras caught him driving away after running into a 63-year-old man who died of his injuries shortly after the accident.
On Tuesday (Feb 27), the 55-year-old was jailed for eight weeks and banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to three charges - causing the death of Mr Sathiamoorthy Ramiah through a negligent act, failing to render assistance and removing his vehicle without police authority
The court heard that Kasmani was driving along Mohamed Sultan Road on April 20, 2016, and was not keeping a proper lookout while making a right turn into Martin Road, resulting in the collision with Mr Sathiamoorthy.
He did not stop and he was captured driving away from the scene on a nearby CCTV camera and a taxi's in-car camera.
A witness saw the victim lying in the road and another lorry stopped to render assistance.
Kasmani admitted in his police statement that he was at the accident scene at the time, but initially claimed ignorance of his involvement.
Further investigation showed that he had admitted to his wife that night that he might have hit a pedestrian as he did not expect the man to cross the road.
Investigation also showed that there were exchange of SMS messages between him and his wife the next day in relation to the hit-and-run accident, and that his wife had advised him to surrender himself.
The court heard that at the time of the accident, it was raining heavily and traffic flow was light.
His lawyer, Ms Quek Ling Yi from Dentons Rodyk & Davidson - assigned by the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme - said in her mitigation plea that her client now works as a cleaner and has five children to support.
He could have been jailed for up to two years and/or fined for causing death by negligence. The maximum penalty for failing to render assistance is a $3,000 fine or 12 months' jail; and for removing his vehicle, a $1,000 fine or three months' jail.
