SINGAPORE – A motorist, whose car allegedly dragged an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer at the Woodlands Checkpoint, was charged in court on Dec 14 with performing a rash act.

Steve Ling Wei Liang, 38, is accused of driving his car forward dangerously at a departure car zone of the checkpoint at around 3.40pm on Dec 12 while the officer was conducting a check on the vehicle.

Court documents stated that the officer suffered superficial injuries to his knee after he was dragged.

He was conscious when he was taken to hospital.

In an earlier joint statement, the Singapore Police Force and the ICA said Ling, who had intended to leave Singapore, was having his car checked when the ICA officer noticed that the amount of fuel was below the stipulated level.

Singapore-registered vehicles are required to have at least three-quarters of motor fuel in their tanks when leaving Singapore via the land checkpoints.

Offenders who flout this rule may be issued with a composition sum of up to $500 or be prosecuted in court. They will be told to turn back at the checkpoints, and will not be allowed to proceed with their journey into Malaysia.

The two agencies added: “The officer instructed the driver to hand over his passport, park the car, and follow him to the ICA duty office.

“The driver refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging the officer for several metres. The car nearly collided with a pedestrian and other nearby stationary vehicles.”

Ling, who was arrested soon after, is expected to plead guilty on Jan 25.

If convicted of the offence, the Singaporean can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $5,000.