More jail time for man who illegally drove car, got into police chase, was caught with sword

SINGAPORE – A repeat offender, who was sentenced to jail as recently as 2023, has been ordered to spend more time behind bars after he

triggered the police into chasing him while he was illegally driving a car on May 15, 2024

.

Muhammad Farhan Mohammad Noor had driven the vehicle while he was under disqualification, and he was later found with a sword in his possession.

The authorities also took his urine samples that day, and they were found to contain traces of methamphetamine the following month.

While out on bail, he trafficked the same substance in July 2024.

Farhan, 23, was sentenced to six years and three months’ jail and 11 strokes of the cane on Nov 4.

The Singaporean was also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for six years from his release date.

He had pleaded guilty to seven charges including drug consumption and trafficking, possession of a weapon, and traffic-related offences.

Without revealing details, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tung Shou Pin told the court that Farhan was earlier convicted of a traffic offence in January 2023.

He was then disqualified from holding a driving licence for all classes for vehicles for three years from April 24 that year.

But from December 2023 to January 2024, Farhan rode a motorcycle illegally.

On Jan 26, 2024, Farhan was sitting by the roadside at around 1.20am when a Traffic Police (TP) officer came forward and asked for his licence.

The offender admitted that he did not have such a document, and he was arrested before he was released on bail later that day.

In a separate incident, Farhan used another man’s details to rent a car on May 14, 2024.

Court documents stated that the next day, Farhan’s fiancee told him to drive two people from Jurong to Geylang, for which he would be paid $210.

After he picked up the pair, they told him that they had drugs in their possession.

He was driving along Aljunied Road towards Sims Drive at around 11.30am when a TP officer signalled at Farhan to stop the car for checks.

Farhan gestured that he would stop at a bus stop ahead, but then he accelerated, prompting the officer to give chase.

The chase from Aljunied Road to Sims Drive and back to Aljunied Road saw Farhan drive against the flow of traffic, and his car hit the rear of a van, struck a carpark gantry arm, and narrowly missed running into a pedestrian.

The pursuit ended along Aljunied Road when the road was blocked by traffic and Farhan fled on foot.

The TP officer eventually caught up with him and detained him.

The authorities later searched the car and recovered a sword with a 28cm-long blade.

They also recovered some drug-related items in the vehicle, and Farhan’s urine samples were later found to contain traces of methamphetamine.

He was later released on bail, only to reoffend on July 26, 2024, when he delivered to a 23-year-old man a packet of crystalline substance, later found to contain methamphetamine.