Jail for man who accelerated car during fuel gauge check and dragged ICA officer

SINGAPORE – A motorist deliberately stepped on the accelerator while an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer was conducting a fuel gauge inspection on his car at the Woodlands Checkpoint.

At least one of the officer’s hands was still inside the vehicle when Steve Ling Wei Liang drove away.

Court documents stated that the fuel gauge of Ling’s car was “below the level mandated by law”, and he hit the gas after realising the officer would not allow him to travel to Malaysia.

The victim instinctively grabbed the steering wheel when the car accelerated sharply. The vehicle dragged him, and he suffered injuries including a bruised right knee.

Following a trial, Ling, 40, was sentenced to eight months and three weeks’ jail on March 25.

District Judge Vince Gui had earlier convicted the Singaporean of causing hurt to the victim by performing a rash act.

Ling drove his car to the Woodlands Checkpoint shortly after 3pm on Dec 12, 2023, as he wanted to go to Johor Bahru to pick up a friend.

He headed towards a secondary clearance spot after he cleared customs and had his passport checked.

He then spotted ICA officers, including the victim, conducting fuel gauge operations.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Lu Yi said: “To check the car’s fuel gauge, the victim leaned forward on the door and stuck his head, hands, shoulders and upper chest into the car through an open window.

“The victim then informed the accused that his fuel gauge level was below three-quarters of a tank, and asked the accused to hand over his passport and to stop the car.”

However, Ling failed to comply with the officer’s instructions.

Instead, he tried to negotiate with the officer, asking the latter to give him a chance as he “could not go to court”.

Ling inched the car forward while talking the victim, the court heard.

DPP Quek said that was because his “main preoccupation” was to go to Malaysia.

The officer then repeatedly told him to stop the vehicle. Ling initially complied, only to step on the accelerator moments later.

The prosecutor added: “When the accused stepped on the accelerator, at least one of the victim’s hands (was) inside the car and the victim was standing right next to (it).

“The accused drove the car from its initial position before coming to a stop about four parking lots away. There was a pedestrian... who took evasive action as the car swerved towards him.”

Ling was escorted to a holding area and was arrested at around 5pm that day.

The victim was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

During the trial, the victim said that his head, shoulders, upper chest and hands were inside Ling’s car.

He had earlier told a doctor that he was “pulled along for about 4m” while he was “half inside the vehicle”.

Ling, who was not represented by a lawyer, claimed that he did not intend to hurt the officer.

According to Ling, he had expected the victim to let go of the car, and that only the latter’s hands were inside the vehicle when it accelerated.

In response to this, the DPP said: “These assertions do not detract from the accused’s deliberate decision to accelerate the car in the face of an obvious risk to life and limb and the hurt that ensued.”

Ling’s bail was set at $20,000 on March 25, and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on May 8 to begin serving his sentence.