Ex-actor Edmund Chen jailed 5 days over AYE accident that caused motorcyclist to suffer fractures

SINGAPORE – Former actor Edmund Chen was sentenced to five days’ jail after admitting to

his role in a traffic accident

which caused multiple fractures in a motorcyclist’s wrist.

A district court imposed a jail sentence despite the prosecution asking for only a fine of between $3,000 and $5,000.

Identified in court documents as Tan Kai Yuan, Chen, 63, pleaded guilty on Jan 29 to one count of causing grievous hurt to a motorcyclist, 21, while driving a car without consideration for other road users.

The court heard that Chen was driving along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) towards the Central Expressway (CTE) around noon on March 4, 2025. Just before the point of collision, Chen slowed down almost to a complete stop on the expressway, before filtering abruptly into another lane.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephen Yeo said this was because Chen had not formed up in the correct lane but still tried to enter the CTE/Seletar Expressway by braking abruptly and filtering against a chevron marking.

The prosecution said Chen had failed to keep a proper lookout. A motorcyclist coming from behind crashed into Chen’s car despite swerving to avoid him.

A video from Chen’s in-car camera played in court showed him cursing in shock after the accident happened, before he stopped the vehicle to help the motorcyclist.

DPP Yeo said the motorcyclist was taken to Singapore General Hospital and had to undergo surgery for multiple wrist fractures. He was hospitalised for two days and given 99 days of hospitalisation leave.

The victim did not suffer permanent disability, added the prosecutor.

District Judge Shawn Ho said: “Both the prosecution and defence sought a fine. I did not agree. I found the custodial threshold has been crossed.”

He referred to the presence of two culpability factors: Chen flouting traffic rules by changing lanes across chevron lines, and filtering sharply across lanes through a sustained period of inattention.

The abrupt switching of lanes also demonstrated a high degree of carelessness, the judge added.

Said the judge: “His actions are intentional violations of specific safety rules designed to prevent high-speed collisions. A driver who chooses to ignore expressway restrictions demonstrates a cavalier disregard for the significant risk of a high-impact crash.

“The risks he took are clearly mitigatable by simply following standard traffic rules and exiting at the next available opportunity instead of forcing the manoeuvre.”

In addition to the jail term, the judge also disqualified Chen from driving for five years.

Chen will begin serving his jail term on March 9 after the judge granted him a deferment to sort out his affairs after Chinese New Year.

Before Chen was sentenced, DPP Yeo said his last compounded traffic offence was in 2013, but did not give specific details.

DPP Yeo added: “The fact we are only asking for a fine does not mean the offence was not serious. The reason why we’ve not put it past the custodial threshold is that the harm in this case was fortuitously not serious.”

Chen’s lawyer, Invictus Law’s Josephus Tan, said this was a momentary lapse of judgment and Chen had cooperated with the authorities from the beginning.

Mr Tan had sought a fine of $3,000 for Chen, saying: “He knew that by cutting across the chevron, even if assuming there is no collision, that itself is intentionally breaching traffic regulations.

“But our point is this: It wasn’t dangerous. He wasn’t speeding. He was in fact travelling below the speed limit.”

Adding that Chen is a public figure, the lawyer said: “Apart from being sanctioned in a court of law... he also has to face up to the court of public opinion, and to that end he has suffered many lost opportunities in his projects.”

Chen could have been jailed for up to two years, fined up to $5,000, or both.

He arrived in court flanked by lawyers Mr Tan and Mr Cory Wong, and told reporters he had no idea what to expect and was feeling very nervous.

An hour after the case concluded, a teary-eyed Chen emerged from the court and told reporters in Mandarin that he was very sorry for causing inconvenience to everyone.

“I would also like to apologise to the friend who was injured and hospitalised for two days in this incident. For causing so much inconvenience and pain to him, I’m really very sorry,” said Chen, referring to the victim, adding that he was relieved the man had made a full recovery.

He added: “I have always had great respect for the legal process, so this incident is a lesson and reminder for me that we have to be aware of traffic safety.”

When asked if he would be appealing, Chen’s lawyer Mr Tan said he had no comments at this juncture.

Chen used to be a household name, appearing in multiple popular television drama series including Star Maiden and Patrol.

He left show business to take care of his daughter Chen Yixin when she was born in 2000, but later returned for occasional acting roles, including in television drama series Life Less Ordinary in 2017.

Chen is married to veteran actress Xiang Yun, known for her roles in classic local dramas such as The Awakening, Double Happiness and The Little Nyonya.

Chen’s two children, including his son Chen Xi, are also in show business.