SINGAPORE - A motorist involved in two unrelated fatal traffic accidents in 2008 and 2014 was caught driving a car last year even though he had been disqualified from doing so.

In an attempt to get himself off the hook, Jason Chia Junjie, 40, gave false information to a police officer by claiming to be his younger brother.

But in a twist, the court heard that the brother was wanted by the authorities at the time and Chia was arrested.

The Singaporean was on Monday (Dec 13) sentenced to nine weeks' jail and fined $5,000. He was also disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for 20 years.

He had pleaded guilty to one count each of driving without insurance, driving while under a disqualification order, and giving false information to a public servant.

In July 2008, Chia was fined $7,000 and banned from driving for five years after he caused the death of a motorcyclist on an expressway.

He did not obtain a driving licence after his earlier disqualification ended in July 2013.

But in October 2014, he drove to Geylang in a car that his brother had rented.

He was driving across the junction of Geylang Road and Lorong 22 at about 4.15am when he failed to keep a proper lookout and the car struck a man who was crossing the road.

He fled from the scene and the pedestrian died from a head injury.

Chia later surrendered to the authorities, and was in 2016 sentenced to 10 months' jail and banned from driving from Sept 23 that year to Sept 22, 2026.

On Nov 2 last year, Chia was unlawfully driving a car along Lorong 12 Geylang at around 11am when a policeman stopped him for a check.

When asked for his particulars, Chia said that he did not have his NRIC with him and instead wrote down his brother's particulars on a piece of paper that he handed to the officer.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Emily Koh said: "The screening of the particulars showed that (the brother) was wanted by the police. The accused was placed under arrest and brought into the police car."

Chia finally admitted that he had given the policeman false information in a later interview.

Details about his brother's case were not disclosed in court documents.

Defence lawyer N. Divanan from Phoenix Law Corporation told the court that his client had committed a "foolish mistake" and is remorseful.

He also said that the offence involving the false information was neither premeditated nor planned.